Thousands of mourners arrived at Sayyeda Khawla (AS) Shrine in Baalbek early this morning to commemorate Imam Hussein’s (AS) Arbaeen.
Pilgrims had begun to march on foot from the northern, western, eastern, and central Bekaa Valley, while others reported that they started marching from the southern suburbs of Beirut, covering around 80 kilometers, in honor of Sayyeda Zainab’s (AS) great sacrifices.
Hezbollah Marks Arbaeen
Hezbollah marked the occasion with a mourning ceremony at Sayyed Khawla (AS) Shrine which buzzed with thousands of Imam Hussein devotees.
Thousands of mourners then participated in the march which took place across Baalbeck’s streets.
Madeefs
This year’s commemoration was special, as mourners expressed their devotion to Imam Hussein (AS) in inspiring ways. Hundreds of food stalls (called Madeefs) lined the international road between northern Bekaa and Rayak, offering food, beverages, and sweets to pilgrims.
While touring along the road, the Al-Manar English website correspondent met a Lebanese family who had driven all the way from the southern Lebanese village of Maifadoun to serve food for Sayyeda Khawla’s (AS) visitors on this extraordinary day.
Members of this family, young and elderly, had been cooking meals and organizing a Husseini procession with other Bekaai volunteers since Arabeen’s eve.
Their youngest daughter displayed pleasure in what she was doing, confirming that this was not the first time she had helped with meal preparation and distribution.
A Blood Drive on the Way to Baalback
Wid Charity Association was the first to attend the march, where a blood donation drive was organized in collaboration with Saint George Hospital.
“Donating blood to save the lives of others is one of the greatest sacrifices a person can make, especially on the Arbaeen of Imam Hussein (AS), who sacrificed his life to defend Islam and oppose tyranny,” a donor affirmed.
Clean Up Campaign
In an effort to maintain cleanliness during this march, the Baqoun gathering launched the “Cleanliness is the Key to Civilization” campaign.
Preparations for the campaign began a day ahead of the march, with the distribution of 1,000 containers along the road leading to the shrine of Sayyeda Khawla “(AS), beginning at the Sarein Junction, to collect garbage, divided into three types: plastic, glass, cardboard, and cans of mineral beverages, and a third for organic materials.
In addition, the association organized a guidance and awareness campaign for citizens, urging them to maintain cleanliness, especially on this holy occasion. Rakan Al-Dika, who is supervising the Imam Hussein campaign, called on pilgrims to cooperate with this campaign and to console Imam Hussein on this day in the most beautiful way.
Source: Al-Manar English Website
