Muslims were pictured drenched in blood as they slashed, whipped and cut themselves with sharp blades to mark an Islamic festival. The holiday, known as the holy Day of Ashura, is celebrated by Shi'ite Muslims, and mourns the death of Imam Hussein on the battlefield in the seventh century.The gory ceremony, which sees males of all ages cut themselves across the scalp or whip themselves with blades attached to chains, is meant to commemorate Imam Hussein's violent end. In Iraq, pilgrims converged on the holy city of Karbala, which was the site of the battle and is home to a shrine to Hussein, and were pictured wearing white clothes stained by bright red patches of blood from their wounds.In Baghdad, thousands marched through the streets, including some who slashed their heads with razors and performed other forms of self-flagellation in a show of grief to mark the occasion.Muslims also gathered in Iran, Lebanon and other parts of the world for the annual commemoration. Ashura this year comes after a war between predominantly Shi'ite Iran and the United States and Israel, who launched strikes on the country on February 28, killing senior officials, including the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Shi'ite men bleed from self-inflicted wounds after cutting their heads with swords during a procession to mark festival of Ashoura, on the tenth day of Muharram, in Basra, Iraq, June 26 Muslims were pictured drenched in blood as they slashed, whipped and cut themselves with sharp blades to mark the Islamic festival of Ashura Shiite men bleed from self-inflicted wounds after cutting their heads with swords during a procession to mark Ashura The holiday is celebrated by Shi'ite Muslims and mourns the death of Imam Hussein on the battlefield in the 7th CenturyThe 86-year-old Khamenei was not just Iran's top political leader but also had a final say on all religious matters and was revered by millions of Shiites worldwide.In Lebanon, where a fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah is in place, thousands of black-clad mourners gathered in Beirut's southern suburbs at a shrine to Hezbollah's former longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in a series of massive Israeli strikes in 2024.Women clutched photographs of sons and brothers killed in the war — many of them fighting for Hezbollah — while others held photographs of Nasrallah or Iran's Khamenei, who was killed in February in an attack by the US and Israel.Many of them sobbed. Expressions of grief for the death of Imam Hussein are traditional during Ashura, but many of the mourners were also grieving more personal losses.In the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh, which is usually a major centre to commemorate Ashoura, dozens of people gathered near the main square, much of which was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes over the past weeks, with some of them inflicting head injuries on themselves to express their mourning. The practice is widely opposed by many Shiites, including Hezbollah. Earlier on Friday, state media and Associated Press journalists on the ground reported two Israeli airstrikes on the nearby village of Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa. It was not immediately clear if the strike inflicted any casualties. A man bleeds from a ceremonial head wound as he strikes his head during Ashura amid buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes in Nabatiyeh, southern Lebanon, Friday, June 26, 2026 The gory ceremony is meant to commemorate Imam Hussein's violent end Ashura this year comes after a war between predominantly Shiite Iran and the United States and Israel, who launched strikes on the country on February 28, Shiite Muslims re-enact the seventh century battle of Karbala during activities marking the holy day of Ashoura, the annual Shiite Muslim commemoration marking the death of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, in the Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, June 26, 2026 A Lebanese Shiite uses a razor to make a ceremonial cut to a man's head during Ashoura when Shiites commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, in Nabatiyeh, southern Lebanon, Friday, June 26, 2026 To Shi'ites, the killing of Hussein holds deep religious and historical resonanceTo Shi'ites, who make up the second-largest branch of Islam after the Sunni majority, the killing of Hussein holds deep religious and historical resonance and plays a key role in shaping identity.Hezbollah's leader Naim Kassem said in a speech Friday that Ashura is being repeated by the US and Israel, adding that his group and its supporters were subjected to a 'war of elimination.''America and Israel also wanted to eliminate Iran by removing the regime and controlling the country,' Kassem said. 'The memorandum of understanding is a declaration of defeat for America and Israel,' Kassem said of the deal reached this month between Washington and Tehran.