Introduction
Rituals serve as vessels for preserving and expressing a society’s historical, cultural, and religious memory, as well as its collective identity. Therefore, analyzing the structure and content of rituals is essential for understanding the various facets of a society’s identity. In Iran, particularly in the Razavi Khorasan province, rituals are diverse and complex, making research in this area crucial for recognizing national identity and protecting Iran’s intangible cultural heritage. Despite its importance, there is a significant gap in this field, especially in Razavi Khorasan. Previous studies have often overlooked the interdependence of rituals and their integration into broader collections or superstructures, which are vital for understanding collective identity. To address this gap, this research aims to describe and introduce the superstructure of the flagpole-carrying ritual in Chesham village, along with its other Muharram ritual superstructures, to recognize the collective identity of this ritual collection. By analyzing the structural system of the flagpole-carrying ritual, this study seeks to explore how the structural system of Chesham village’s Muharram ritual collection can be utilized to understand the collective identity of these rituals.
 
Method
This qualitative, descriptive-analytical research focuses on the flagpole-carrying ritual in Chesham village, located in Kah district, Davarzan county, in the western part of Razavi Khorasan province. Data collection primarily employed field methods and ethnography, supplemented by library research for theoretical and experimental literature. Field study tools included observation, semi-structured interviews, and open interviews. Data analysis utilized thematic analysis, a qualitative research approach based on analytical induction. This method involves “data classification and input and output data modeling” as a form of analytical typology (Mohammadpour, 2013, pp. 68-69). The thematic plan, as described by Wolcott (2005, 2008), was implemented in three stages: description, analysis, and interpretation (Mohammadpour, 2012, pp. 68-69). Initially, the collected data was organized in chronological order. In the analysis stage, data was categorized based on the ritual's placement within the ritual collection. Finally, in the interpretation stage, the ritual's placement within the regional ritual collection was compared and analyzed.
 
Findings
The flagpoles in Chesham village consist of 18 pieces, each with a wooden base and an iron Tuq on top. During the flagpole-carrying ritual, the bodies of the flagpoles are typically covered with black cloths, while the joint where the metal Tuq meets the body is adorned with colorful, often green scarves. This ritual is an integral part of the superstructure of flagpole-carrying and is connected to other superstructures that form the broader ritual collection of Chesham's Muharram rituals. In terms of timing and importance, flagpole-carrying holds a unique position in the village’s rituals. It is observed in four distinct periods: Friday nights of the first decade of Muharram, the eve of Ashura, Ashura morning, and Ashura evening. Flagpoles play a primary role in the flagpole-decorating and flagpole-carrying rituals, and a secondary role in various other rituals, including “Questions and Answers”, “Stone Beating”, “Nakhl Gardani”, “Ta’zieh”, and others. Moreover, flagpole-carrying itself encompasses a collection of rituals, including visiting the graves, and visitation letter reading; each with its own distinct characteristics and methods. Notably, the flagpole and flagpole-carrying rituals are symbols of the collective identity of the village people. They also play a significant role in shaping the collective identity of the ritual collection and the broader Muharram ritual superstructure in Chesham.
 
Discussion and Conclusion
Examining the structural system of Muharram rituals in Chesham village, particularly focusing on flagpole-carrying, highlights the significance of the narrative system in shaping the collective identity of this ritual tradition. In this narrative framework, both living and deceased actors utilize drama, words, music, and movement to convey the storytelling aspect of the rituals. This structural system, referred to as “superstructure” (Nünning & Rupp, 2013, p. 13), serves as a “block” within the broader “ritual grammar” of the Muharram ritual collection in Chesham, as well as in higher contexts across Khorasan and Iran. It comprises various subsystems, each representing different blocks that contribute to the overall structure. Each of these subsystems narrates the story by emphasizing specific performing methods, engaging the senses of the ritual actors, and incorporating their collective actions. A close examination of these narrative performance sequences within the superstructure of the Muharram rituals in Chesham, with a special focus on flagpole-carrying, demonstrates that the complexity and breadth of this superstructure—reflecting the community's collective identity—correspond to the peaks and troughs of the Ashura event narrative.
In summary, the social intermediary identity of the Alam in Chesham is manifested through the village's Muharram ritual collection, of which the Alam superstructure is an integral part. The collective identity associated with the flagpole-carrying superstructure can be discerned through three structural systems: ritual action, sensory action, and narrative performance (Figure 1). The foundation of this identity structure is the narration of the Ashura event throughout the calendar year, involving the participation of the entire village, as well as ritual objects such as a flag, palm tree, stone, chain, musical instruments, and ceremonial clothing.