Are religious rituals dying?

Ta’zieh, a Shi’a tradition that has been ongoing for centuries. It is similar to the medieval passion play in the sense that it narrates the story of the death of one of, if not the most, important religious figure in their culture. The plays are usually staged throughout the month of Muharram and consists of various stories staged throughout 10 days, culminating in the story of the death of Imam Hussein, the Shi’a’s most important imam.

The video in question (link below) is a short documentary about Ta’zieh. A narrator speaks in a sober tone saying various facts about Ta’zieh while the video shows performers and audience members during a performance. At times there are also various interviews with performers who explain certain aspects of the Ta’zieh. The narrator speaks about how the performance is a tragedy and how it is highly cathartic, a statement which is backed by the shady green-ish lighting of the tent, the serious tone of the performers, and the faces of the spectators moved to tears from the spectacle. In a sense, everything that the narrator is saying seems to fit in very nicely with the images in the video, allowing for a very informative piece.

However, that is not the only image that one receives from watching the video. The disconnect is not between the images in the video and what the narrator is saying, but between the entire video itself and the live performance. The narrator’s voice is a very standard one for documentaries in the time the video was made. This would affect the perception of the, likely western and english-speaking, viewer, since documentaries of this type are typically done to provide information about something that is foreign to one’s own culture. Even though the narrator talks about how the performance is meant to bring the community together, it is hard to tell from the video itself how true this claim is. The only people who are seen being moved to tears are elderly people, while the young people are onlooking with expressions that show either confusion or disinterest. At the beginning of the video there is a young woman looking down at her cell phone and there is a shot of a young man nonchalantly laid back to a wall while recording the performance and chewing gum. One can also see a part where a woman is walking around serving tea for audience members, perhaps not just for the sake of hospitality, but also to give people who are not as involved something to do with their time.

What I am saying is that the video does not tell us the reality of this age-old tradition in our time. While the elderly are still very involved, we cannot really tell if the younger generations are as involved in the performance as well. While young performers seem to be equally engaged, it is still hard to say the same about the larger population, since these young performers are likely to be involved in the tradition due to their familial values. It is also very difficult to tell if this disinterest of the younger generations (if it is true) persists after growing up. So while it is unsure, the video might be telling two stories in one: the story of the great Ta’zieh and how it unites its community (told by the narrator and the people interviewed) and the story of a new generation that seems to be growing out of this type of performance.

This might not be the case, however. As one of the performers says in the video “it is not entertainment.” For that reason, disinterest may be a natural part of the ritual, and one that does not undermine its effectiveness. If the seemingly uninterested younger generation wanted to entertain themselves, then they have a myriad other media they can use. But Ta’zieh is not meant for that, but it is instead more of a ritual. A five year old in a christian family does not go to church eagerly, or understanding what happens there; they go because they are pretty much forced to by their family. Eventually, the children will grow to understand the ritual (or not), but even then they understand that it is not meant to be for entertainment. It is for learning. It is for gathering the community. It is to unite people of a specific culture and propagate the values that keep that people together. Ta’zieh is similar in this regard: it may not matter that the younger generation is not interested in the performance. What matters is that they are there, learning, albeit not consciously, about their tradition and their values, which will eventually become a key part of their identity as part of their community.

https://youtu.be/8aKAPL9Fkz4