In the Islamic calendar, the month of Muharram marks a special time for Iranians when they dress in black and attend mourning ceremonies to pay tribute to the third Shiite imam and the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.

In 680 CE, Hussein ibn Ali led an uprising against Yazid ibn Muawiyah ibn Abu Sufyan, the Umayyad Caliph. He refused to pledge allegiance to Yazid, calling his rule unjust. He was brutally killed during the Battle of Karbala along with his 72 companions by the Yazid army.

During Muharram, there are ceremonies in each neighborhood, funded by the local communities. These ceremonies include eulogists who sing about the Battle of Karbala. The songs are vivid descriptions of the suffering and martyrdom of Imam Hussein and his companions that bring audiences to tears. 

In recent years, however, critics have been claiming that the cost of the tearjerkers has become just too expensive. The eulogists, an integral part of the ceremonies, now demand a price that equals that of pop stars. There are still eulogists who take no money, believing it is not right, but others, particularly well-known ones, have no qualms about demanding a high fee. Prices go as high as $2,500 for a single ceremony — only slightly lower than $3,000 that well-known pop stars demand, according to a 2017 report by Poolnews.