Mumbai, India, January 8, 2009—A young Shiite in India gestures as devotees flagellate themselves with sharp blades during a religious observance of Ashura.

The holiday marks the death of the Prophet Mohammad's grandson Imam Hussein at the seventh-century battle of Kerbala.

Bloodletting during the annual rite has seen a controversial resurgence since the fall of Saddam Hussein, who repressed public displays of worship by his country's majority sect, Reuters reported.