These pictures are from a collection of 24  at the Huffington Post.  The report and the video are also from that dhimmi site.

Quotations from the report:

Ashura, an optional fast day for Muslims that commemorates different things for Sunnis and Shiites, falls on Dec. 4-5, 2011. The word itself, ashura, means 10, and the holiday is the 10th day of the Islamic month of Muharram. The Islamic calendar is lunar, so the date of Ashura can vary depending on sighting of the moon.

Ashura marks many things: the creation of the world, Noah’s departure from the ark, Moses’ flight from Egypt and the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Hussein ibn Ali, in 680 A.D.

Nice to know the exact lunar date of the creation of the world.

But Ashura chiefly marks the martyrdom of Hussein ibn Ali.

Sunni Muslims consider Ashura a fast day for two reasons: Muhammad fasted then and Moses fasted in appreciation of the successful Exodus for Egypt. Shiite Muslims mark Ashura as a day of mourning for the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson. In fact, Hussein’s martyrdom is one of two major events that led to the Sunni-Shiite split in Islam. Shiites, who constitute Islam’s second-largest denomination (about 10-15 percent of the world Muslim population), consider Hussein to be the one true heir of Muhammad’s legacy.

Shiite Muslims observe Ashura through mourning rituals such as self-flagellation and reenactments of the martyrdom. Many … march through the streets chanting and hitting themselves in the chest. Some use whips and chains — or cut themselves on the forehead — to ritually punish their bodies. …

And many – including very young boys – whip themselves with blades.

Here are some celebrants:

Now watch the video. We don’t think the sweet young anchor is being satirical in the least. She really, really wants her viewers to know all about the holy day of Ashura. She asks a Turk – a Sunni Muslim who in theory should be observing the day by fasting – to tell her all about it. He doesn’t mention the Shia custom of self-flagellation.

She thinks it all sounds just lovely. America, she says, needs to import Ashura. Well, the Turk makes it sound delicious. It’s all about cooking and eating and sharing, especially desserts.

“It’s about joy,” she says fawningly, “and embracing your neighbor”.

Oh, yeah! So bring it on!

“It’s a problem in the US that we need more community,” she grovels cheerfully.