The Bani Assad Congregation, known as the Sang-Zan-ha, is a well-established religious group in Shahreza, which performs its unique ritual in this city from one day before Tasu’a (Muharram 9) until the 13th day of Muharram.
The mourners hold two hemispherical pieces of wood, each about the size of a palm with a diameter of approximately 7 cm.
Then, along with the rhythm of noha and in four methods of single-beat, triple-beat, four-beat and eight-beat and while repeatedly saying the name Hussein at the same time, they hit these wooden instruments upon their chests and then raise them over their heads to strike them against each other.
This ritual represents the burial of the martyrs of Karbala by the Bani Assad Tribe, some of whom supported Imam Hussein, some fought against him, and some did not take sides in the Battle of Karbala.
Since the people of the tribe were afraid of Ibn Ziyad’s agents, they quietly mourned for the martyrs of Karbala by hitting some stones against each other.
However, some say the Sang-Zan-ha were a tribe that painted their whole bodies red to show how disastrous the Battle of Karbala was.
Also, according to some sources, the women of the Bani Assad were to bury the martyrs of Karbala on the night of the 13th of Muharram, but when they took the shovels and began moving towards the desert, they were stopped by their men, who did the job of burying themselves.
Then, saying the name Hussein repeatedly, the women used stones to beat themselves on the head and chest in order to mourn.
Some also insist that the Bani Assad appeared in Karbala on the twelfth day of Muharram, and since they were far too late to help Imam Hussein (PBUH), they picked up stones off the desert and beat themselves on the head and chest, as was the custom in Arab culture.
