The Chehel menbar ritual
Chehel menbar rite (lit: forty pulpits) is one of the customs of the ceremonies ofAshura in Iran which takes place in the region of Lorestan, near Gorgân, Lahijân, and in some other city.
In Khorram Âbâd there is the custom that in the night of the ÂShura women, in memory of Zeinab[1], (A) with their faces covered and barefoot take the candles in their hands, the number of which is usually equivalent to forty, and put them in forty menbar linked to Hossein's mourning for their wishes to be fulfilled.
In Borujerd, however, the ritual cehel menbar it is not reserved exclusively for women and men also participate in it.
The women of the Lorestan they believe that during the performance of this ritual, every woman and girl whose bare feet involuntarily find themselves on a lit candle will have their wishes fulfilled. This rite in Lahijân is celebrated in its own and unparalleled way, it is reserved for women and takes place on the night of Tâsu'â and a few hours before the call to the sunset prayer. Women first act two raka'at[2] and then they walk to the entrance of the houses that had hosted the commemoration ceremony last year. In front of these houses was placed a menbar alongside which a little rice, a brazier and two empty containers have been placed. After darkness has come, participants with forty thin candles and forty dates go up from forty menbar, in each one they light a candle, place a date or a coin on it, take a handful of rice from there and pour the accumulated rice into the bags they have at home to bring them prosperity and luck and their wishes are fulfilled. These women have veils on their faces, during the journey they do not talk to each other at all and at the end of the ritual they take off their veils. But there are also other people in the crowd engaged in a similar ceremony. Instead of going into the houses and lighting forty candles, they walk barefoot through the old alleys of the city and go to seven sacred shrines, kissing their doors and walls in search of blessing. In these ancient quarters there are more than twelve shrines and for the participants of this ritual the fact of kissing and lighting the candles in these seven shrines among these twelve is enough. This rite, which takes place concurrently with that of the chehel menbar, is called "haft kelke"And is organized by authoritative people and the elderly.
A ceremony similar to the chehel menbar takes place, with some difference, in the city of Âstârâ after the second call to the noon prayer of the day of Tâsu'â. Participants in the commemoration walk to the entrances of twelve mosques and in front of the large bowls of water they light twelve candles with the intent of making their wishes come true. A similar ceremony takes place in Rasht, Kermân and Gorgân while a Esfahan and Shahrezâ is known as "chehel va yek menbar" (Fourty one menbar).
[1]Firstborn of the daughters of the Prophet Mohammad and his first wife Khadija.
[2]Le Raka'at they are the cycles of prayer. In practice, each prayer consists of a certain number of raka'at. The cycles are composed of a number of movements, which vary according to the prayer.
