A video thread about lion characters in Muharram traditions

1/ If you read my first Muharram Globalisation thread, you may recall the lion/tiger characters played by men that are part of Muharram traditions in parts of India: https://twitter.com/desmukh/status/1169240152478289920

2/ While trying to find out more about this tradition, I stumbled upon videos of lions being portrayed by costumed men in Iranian (and Iraqi) passion plays ("Ta'zieh") about the tragedy of Karbala.

This one is from Diwaniya in Iraq

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3/ In the scene above, the lion arrives to the battle ground after the martyrdom of Hussain and his companions. Upon seeing the bodies he is overcome with grief and mourns the martyrs.

4/ These portrayals seem to be based on a few traditions. One is the story of Fizza's lion: On the day of Ashura, Fizza/Fidda (Fatima's handmaiden) reminds Zainab about the Prophet's servant Safina who tamed a wild lion by telling him of his relation to the Prophet.

5/ After getting Zainab's permission, Fizza summons the lion to come to Karbala to guard Hussain's body from being cruelly trampled over by Yazid's horsemen.

This video is of a tazieh performance in Khansar, Iran (I think)

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6/ The other tradition is of an Indian sultan, Qais, and his vizier. While on a hunting trip they are attacked by a lion and in order to save themselves they pray to Hussain for help. He duly arrives and orders the lion not to kill the sultan

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7/ This lion later appears at the battleground of Karbala after Hussain has been killed and mourns over the bodies of the martyrs. Both of these traditions seem to have several sightly differing versions.

8/ Here's another tazieh in Tark in the northwest of Iran, showing the moving interaction between Hussain and the lion after Sultan Qais has been saved.

If any Persian speakers could tell us what is being said in the dialogue, that would be great

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9/ In this tazieh performance, a *real* lion is brought onto stage to play the lion in the scene of Sultan Qais. (Maybe not the best idea in the world)

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10/ Another tazieh, this time from Zarqan in southern Iran, showing the lion attacking Sultan Qais and his vizier before the Imam intervenes to save them.

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11/ A very stylised lion costume in a tazieh performance in Natanz, north of Isfahan. This video is from a 1972 French documentary film about tazieh (dubbed in German for some reason)

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12/ The lion portrayals are not restricted just to stationary tazieh performances, but can also be part of Muharram processions, usually showing the lion mourning over the bodies of Hussain and Al Asghar

This is from a procession in Kashan, Iran

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13/ From what I can gather, the lion floats are usually part of the Bani Asad processions on the 13th of Muharram, marking the day that the martyrs were buried.

This is a procession that looks like it is in Iraq, possibly in Basra.

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14/ This procession appears to be in Iran, maybe in the covered bazaar of Kashan. That lion is quite realistic

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15/ I'm not able to place this one, but the domes at the start of clip may be a clue for people familiar with Iranian architecture.

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16/ Here's a lion float at the shrine complex of Karbala. Note, the parent handing a baby to the lion to momentarily play the role of Al Asghar.

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17/ Here's a clip of the lion entering Hussain's shrine in Karbala.

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18/ Sometimes the lion actors really get into their roles. Here the lion charges a character who I assume is Suktan Qais, takes him down from his horse, and then proceeds to wrestle him on the ground Greco-Roman style.

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19/ Another wrestling lion

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20/ And there's a lion riding a bicycle in this one for a reason that I have no idea about.

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21/ This tazieh, from Lorestan in western Iran according to the title, has four lions in the scene. I'm not sure if this a variation of the same story or something different. Again, any help from Iran experts appreciated

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22/ Even the best actors have their bad days

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23/ There's a pilgrimage site in Karbala which is attributed to be the place from where Fizza summoned the lion after the battle of Karbala. In this video a Pakistani pilgrimage group is doing sina zani to a noha at the site

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24/ There is a Pakistani studio-recorded Urdu noha about the story of Fizza's lion, performed by Mesum Abbas and with an introduction by Zameer Akhtar Naqvi

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25/ I also came across this beautiful lion painting being carried in an Ashura procession in Mashhad. I'm not sure if it represents Fizza's lion, or if it's a representation of Ali as the lion of God (and in the Persian Lion and Sun motif)

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26/ Finally, this is a clip of an adapted tazieh being performed at the Lincoln Centre in New York in 2002, directed by Mohammad Ghaffari

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27/ Could there be any connection between these Muharram tazieh lions and the Muharram lions in India? It seems very unlikely, as there are indigenous lion dance traditions in India that are a more likely source, but it's a fascinating coincidence nonetheless.

28/ There is so much more to unpack in these amazing tazieh videos, so once again if any Iran and/or Farsi experts can provide some more context to what is going on that would be great

29/ Final video of the thread. Yet another wrestling lion.

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[End of thread]