Moharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It also marks the anniversary of the battle of Karbal in which the third Shia Imam—Hossein—was slain in 680 A.D. In Shia-majority countries, many public and private mourning rituals are held in commemoration of Moharram, and street processions are a common practice in many cities.

In Los Angeles, a small group of Shia Iranians get together every year in the Downtown area for a public procession and ritual to commemorate Moharram. 

The congregational prayer is held at the intersection of 7th St. and S. Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles. The street has been closed to traffic for the afternoon prayer and Moharram ritual. 

Part of the ritual is the practice of flaggelation, or zanjeer zani, in which participants strike their backs and shoulders with chains to the beat of the drum.