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The Hosseini infancy conference (Persian: همایش شیرخوارگان حسینی hamâyeš-e širxwargan-e Hōsēynī) is a mourning custom of the Day of Ashura. It is held on the first Friday of Muharram in the Islamic calendar to commemorate the memory of Ali al-Asghar ibn Husayn, the six-month-old baby boy of Husayn ibn Ali and Umm Rubab,[1][2] who was the youngest person killed in the Battle of Karbala.
According to a report by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, the aim of holding the Hosseini infancy conference is to promote the teaching of Ashura.[3]
The first conference was held in 2003, and after that mourners have congregated every year on the first Friday of Muharram throughout Iran and in 43 other countries including Iraq, Pakistan, Bahrain, India, and Turkey.[3]
The 2018 Hosseini infancy conference is being held in Musalla, Tehran and other cities such as Mashhad,[4][5] Alborz,[6] Khorramabad,[7] and Qom in the Jamkaran mosque.[8]
At the conference, mothers dress their babies in special green and white clothes, which are said to resemble the clothing of Ali al-Asghar ibn Husayn. Babies also wear a headband with the name of Ali al-Asghar ibn Husayn written on it.[3]
Each first Friday of Muharram in Iran and other countries, mothers and their babies receive Alavi's green gown and scarf and the forehead band of Ya Sahebazzaman upon their arrival in the conference. They will then mourn Ali Asghar's infant death at Karbala. In 2003, the first ceremony was held in Tehran. Other cities of Iran and other countries have been holding the ceremony ever since.[9][10]
The ceremony is held in these countries:
The following table shows the predicted dates and announced dates based on the calendar of Iran, which celebrated the conference for the first time.[3]
| Solar Hijri year | Gregorian date |
|---|---|
| 1396 | 22 September 2017[11] |
| 1397 | 14 September 2018[12] |
| 1398 | 6 September 2019[13] |
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