sent from: New York, NY, USA. destination: Philadelphia, PA, USA

The group of young, bearded, white-robed men were slowly beating their chests rhythmically to the chant. One hand then the other slowly increasing in strength and intensity as their fervour grew. What started as a lament over the suffering of Imam Hussain and his family became an incessant drum beat of boys and men convulsing as their fists pounded down over and over. A small boy stood at the front, looking back to his brothers, trying to keep up.