The observance of Ashoura is one of the most important events in the Shia calender. Ashoura marks the anniversary of the martyrdom of Husayn, grandson of the Prophet Mohammad, in what is now Kerbala, Iraq. The death of Husayn was the beginning of the Sunni/Shia split, which persists in Islam to this day. In the past, many Shia men have demonstrated their devotion to Husayn by letting their blood flow freely from self-inflicted wounds. Today, however, many governments have tried to ban this practice, with varying degrees of success. In Lebanon, the practice is permitted, and a bloody commemoration of Ashoura takes place in Nabatieh every year. Most participants make a small cut on their head, and then beat the wound with their palm--or in this case a sword--to keep the wound open and bleeding. Participants then march in groups around the town, yelling chants to express their devotion to Husayn and the Prophet. Some participants lose a lot of blood in the process. For some, the blood loss is too much, and they need to be attended to by paramedics, who are never far from the scene. Many children participate, and the tradition seems to be an important rite of passage for many Shia boys. Not all Shias approve of the bloody display. Hizbollah criticizes the practice, saying that the Prophet Mohammad would not want his followers to hurt themselves unnecessarily. They advocate showing thanks for Husayn's sacrifice by donating blood to bloodbanks instead. For some Lebanese the bloody observance of Ashoura has modern political overtones. The town of Nabatieh is within view of the nearby mountain outposts Israeli soldiers occupy in violation of Lebanese sovereignty, and the area is sometimes shelled in retaliation for resistence attacks. Some young Lebanese consider this bloody display--within view of the Israeli occupying force--a defiant protest against this occupation. All photographs on swallace.wirephoto.com are copyright Stephen Wallace and may not be republished or redistributed in any form without permission.