Word: muharram
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There were fears, however, that the relative calm might merely be a brief hiatus before a new round of violence aimed at driving the Shah from his throne. The next crucial test will come during the Islamic month of Muharram. The Shi'ite observance of this month culminates on Dec. 11, with the commemoration of the martyrdom of Imam Husain, grandson of Muhammad. It is a time when all Shi'ites mourn for their dead, and emotions often reach a feverish pitch...
...outside their garden wall. They recall with remarkable clarity the sights and sounds of the bazaars, of steamer trips through the river jungle of the Ganges Delta, of the slow cycle of the Indian year, from Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, back again to the Moslem festival of Muharram. In a muted way there was tragedy, too. The sisters tell how Nitai, their meek sweeper, killed his beautiful daughter in a jealous rage after she moved in with Guru, the Godden family's gatekeeper...