Birthdays and Martyrdom Anniverseries

wa alaykum as salaam wa rahma!

Thank you for your question! As far as I know, the only birthday that is commemorated is that of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his progeny. There seems to be a disagreement as to the exact date of his birth (Al-Bahr az-Zakhkhaar); however, this does not prevent one from commemorating it on a specific date. As far as the exact date that it is commemorated in Yemen these days, I'm not sure.

And Allah knows best!

IRS

 
Thank you for your questions!

I would first like to preface this response by saying that the commemoration of these occasions in Yemen do not represent Zaydism as a madhhab; rather, they are events that are generally held. The same is true of Eid al-Ghadeer. By this, I mean that we do not have the command in our foundational texts to commemorate these days, but our imams and scholars have permitted it. As a result, these occasions have become a mark of Zaydi identity in Yemen. 

That being said, Zaydis do not typically commemorate the death of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his progeny, although you can find ceremonies in which the martyrdoms of Imams 'Ali , al-Hussein and Zayd b. 'Ali , upon them be peace, are commemorated.

The manner in which they are commemorated is somewhat sober. By that, I mean that you will not find ritualistic crying, matam, self-flagellation, wailing or anything else of that sort. They generally consist of lectures about the personalities, as you can see from the links.

And Allah knows best!

IRS