Social Contexts of the Emergence of Theatrical Elements in Iranian Mourning Rituals

The mourning ritual in Iran is the only ritual that in the course of evolution, has become a kind of ritual performance in the Qajar period, having national and religious identity. Despite all the controversy over the origin and exact date of the first taziyehs, the principle of developmental history seems to be an acceptable and logical approach to the subject of the theatricality of mourning rituals until it changes to taziyeh. The ups and downs of the history of mourning rituals in Iran show a direct relationship with the conditions prevailing in historical periods. Since the aesthetic evolution of these rituals, due to the recognition of Shiism, begins from the Safavid period, the historical scope of this research is the Safavid period to Zandieh, which paved the way for the emergence of the first ritual performances of Ta’ziyeh. This study seeks to answer the question: What social and political factors have been influential in the emergence of theatrical features in official mourning rituals in Iran? The research method is historical- descriptive and the initial result indicates that the emergence of theatrical coordinates in mourning rituals in the Safavid period is part of the process of development and propaganda of these rituals that the Safavid government used to gain authority and legitimacy. This process in the Zandieh period, due to the freedom of action and talent of the masses, brought the mourning rites closer to the final theatrical forms by interfering with the elements of narration, story, and characterization.