The Mourning Palm of Fars; An allegory of mourning for Imam Hossein (pbuh)Case study: Jahrom city

The purpose of this article is to prove that the palm as a sacrificial Lord symbol has been used in real and symbolic ways in the mourning rituals of Imam Hussein (pbuh) in the palm-growing areas of Fars, especially in Jahrom city.

The method of conducting this research is descriptive-analytical and field observations.

According to the findings, mourning rituals are one of the oldest rituals in human history. A look at the origin of these customs shows that the public and famous mourning rituals have originated and continued from the origin of birth and resurrection myths. In mythology, a God of plants is sacrificed so that its blood is a guarantee of life and a blessing, and the result of this God sacrifice or self-sacrifice is, in a way, a repetition of the act of cosmology and the creation and evolution of the worlds. Iranians have touched the spirit of Ashura event and these visions have re-created old patterns in their historical mind to see this event as an eternal and eternal event in addition to an incident in history. In Iranian culture, the figure of the palm tree is likened to the human figure, and on the other hand, it is a symbol of the Mesopotamian Martyr God, Dumuzi. The blood of Imam Hossein(pbh), like Siavash and other heroes who were killed in a cowardly and oppressive manner, blesses other uprisings, therefore, in the minds and rituals of Iran, the palm tree, which is a symbol of divine sacrifice and is used in mythological mourning, is also a symbol of Imam Hossein's martyrdom, becomes a victim. The sample studied in this research is Jahorm city, one of the ancient and palm-growing cities of Fars and southern Iran, whose date quality is also defined in ancient written sources. So much so that the tourists in the Safavid period called this city the palm forest and talked a lot about the quality of the palm trees, its shape and dates. However, in the research conducted about the palm, the mythological roots and traditions related to this tree in Fars or Jahrom are not mentioned.

Research: 

Based on the obtained results, the mourning palm is both an allegory of Imam Hussein(pbuh) and a symbol of a sacred object, that is, the coffin of the martyrs, in Muharram mourning rituals in Fars. This ceremony, like many religious mourning ceremonies, is both a kind of declaration of mourning and mourning following the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (pbuh) and companionship and support, as well as a kind of eternal recognition of Imam Hussein (pbuh) and his resurrection. Ways such as: Mourning palm, coffin and kettle, etc. are symbolic forms of the Muharram mourning ritual in Jahrom, in all of which there has been a palm from the past until now. In some cases, these traditions are consistent with the traditions of other regions of southern Persia, such as Lar, Lamard, Khavaran, etc., which grow palm trees. Palm products such as dates, halwa, sweet breads, etc. are used symbolically in the mourning ceremony of Imam Hussein (pbuh) in Fars and Jahrom for the happiness of the souls of the departed, which are also rooted in mythology.