The Azadari of Muharram was started by the family of Muhammad (the Ahl-ul-Bayt) after the martyrdom of Muhammad's grandson Husayn ibn Ali at the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD. Following the battle, Muhammad's granddaughter Zainab binte Ali and sister of Husayn, began mourning for the fallen and making speeches against Husayn ibn Ali's opponents: Ibn Ziyad and Yazid I. News of Husayn ibn Ali's death was also spread by Imam Zain-ul-Abideen, who succeeded Husayn as the Shia Imam, via sermons and speeches throughout Iraq, Syria and Hejaz.
Zainab and Zain-ul-Abideen proclaimed that Yazid had martyred Husayn and seventy-two of his companions including his six month old son Ali Asghar, and that their women and children were taken as prisoners to Syria.
When word of the mourning reached Yazid he decided to release the captive women and children. He sent for Zain-ul-Abideen, informed him of the impending release and asked if he wished for anything further. Zain-ul-Abideen said he would have to consult with Zainab. She asked Yazid to provide a place where the people could mourn for Imam Husayn and others of Muhammad's household. A house was provided, and here Zaynab binte Ali held the first Majlis-e-Aza of Imam Husayn and started the Mourning of Muharram.
On the 10th day of Muharram, large processions with people holding banners and carrying paper and bamboo replicas of the tomb of Hazrat Imam Hussain and his people are taken out in the streets. Some of the Muslims also hit themselves with a sharp metal tied to chain to express their pain and sorrow. The Moharram processions also are taken out on the streets. At times, a magnificently adorned white horse is also included in the procession, as a symbol of the empty mount of Hazrat Imam Hussain after his martyrdom.

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