The voice of mourning: noha, soz and marthiya during Muharram in Lucknow

Abstract

The article examines the usage of three forms of elegiac poetry and their role in the commemorations of Hussein Ibn Ali by Shiites in Lucknow. It examines the peculiarities of performance practices and attempts to define the part each genre plays in the ritual actions. Additionally, the article points out the phenomenon of the emergence of separate cultural practices associated with marthiya and attempts to define and a performing community of marthiyakhwans.