Iran's Public Mourning for Raisi Halts Cultural Events

The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic declared five days of public mourning after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi and his accompanying delegation, significantly impacting many aspects of public and private life.

During public mourning, government-run cultural and artistic programs, as well as some radio programs, are altered. 

However, this time, the scope of the imposed mourning period has widened, affecting all government and non-government activities, including forcible cancellation of private ceremonies.

The media reported that, in addition to closing cinemas, the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance has halted all cultural and artistic activities nationwide, including concerts, for seven days. 

The Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts has also canceled all Cultural Heritage Week events and closed museums. 

Furthermore, the Minister of Sports has suspended all sports competitions.

A new measure introduced during this period of public mourning is the closure of wedding halls and the postponement of wedding ceremonies for five days. 

This unprecedented action has disrupted many planned celebrations, leaving brides and grooms to reschedule their events.

Many users on social media have shared their experiences and frustrations regarding the delays and closures of wedding halls due to the recent public mourning announcement. 

According to these accounts, on Monday, venue administrators informed the halls that weddings could only proceed without music and dance.

One user recounted that before the public mourning was officially declared on Monday, officials entered a wedding hall during a ceremony and threatened that any music or dance would result in the arrest of the groom and the father of the bride.

Following this incident, other users expressed their criticisms of the complete closure of wedding halls for five days. 

A user on X lamented the financial impact on brides and grooms, highlighting the non-refundable advance payments made to hairdressers and halls. 

This user questioned who would compensate for these financial losses.

In Mashhad, a citizen who had booked a wedding hall told IranWire that he was informed their wedding would be delayed by a day. 

He said that they were fortunate that the hall was available the following day, but acknowledged that many others might face significant delays, having to wait weeks or even months to reschedule their weddings.

Another person from Tehran shared that their hall manager informed them of a five-day closure, forcing them to choose another date. 

Similarly, a wedding hall owner in Tabriz told IranWire that all weddings, like artistic and cultural activities, were suspended for five days. 

The owner mentioned there would be no compensation, only the option to reschedule the ceremony.