maatam(m): mourning

Description of maatam: Maatam is an Urdu word denoting mourning or grief, often expressed through ritualistic acts like chest-beating or wailing, particularly in Shia Muslim observances during Muharram to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Husayn at Karbala. Unlike excessive self-harm such as tearing clothes or beating the face, which some Sunni traditions deem prohibited based on prophetic hadiths, maatam emphasizes controlled communal lamentation. Differs from mere weeping, as it involves public processions, elegies,