The national and religious ritual of sanj-zani is annually held in Veshad District, Aran va Bidgol City, on the Day of Ashura, which is the 10th day of Muharram (the first month of the Islamic calendar).
During the ritual, groups of mourners, who symbolically carry pieces of wood called sanj or sang, march in the streets and sing a number of special poems in their own dialect.
This symbolic act is in fact a riot or protest against the unbelievable tyranny and cruelty inflicted on the 72 soldiers and loyal companions of Imam Husayn (the third Shia Imam) by the enemy’s army, during the Battle of Karbala.
Moreover, in another part of this ritual, a group of people march through the streets and alleys of the city and mourn, on the night of Tasu’a, the ninth of Muharram, by sounding wooden instruments called sanj and carrying such items as torches in order to mark the burning of the tents of Imam Husayn’s army by their enemy, or flags as a sign of Abbas ibn Ali’s faith and loyalty (Abbas ibn Ali was one of the greatest soldiers of Imam Husayn and the main flag bearer of his army).
Delivering special eulogies and elegies is also an important part of this traditional ritual.
The general themes of these poems are the praise of those who were martyred in Karbala and condemning the act of insulting Prophet Muhammad’s family by their enemies.
