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My personal reflections on current issues, culture, and of course economics!
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
This Old Festival of Fire!
Today is the last Tuesday of the Persian calendar. People of Iranian cultural heritage celebrate this day as “Chahar-shanbe Suri” (literally, Wednesday Festival). It is one of the oldest and most persistent remnants of greater Iran’s Zoroastrian past. Chahar-Shanbe Suri is essentially a fire festival. Ancient Iranians considered the classical four elements as sacred. But the especially revered light (hence, fire). There are three main fire festivals in Iranian calendar: in the fall, you celebrate “Mehrgan” devoted to Mithra, angel of contracts and treaties. This tradition is very similar to Celtic (I am not sure whether Welsh or Irish) festival of Lughnasa. in winter you celebrate “Sadeh” which celebrates Winter Solstice. Then at the very end of the year, you celebrate Chahar-Shanbe Suri to cleanse yourself for the New Year festival of Nouruz.
Traditionally, you light fires at sundown and jump over them asking the fire to cleanse you soul. You may also try to divine the year ahead through hiding somewhere and listening to what passerby’s say. To solve your problems you eat a consecrated assortment of nuts and dried fruit. Children go trick-or-treating, like they do in the US on Halloween, but they call it “ghashogh zani”. The first time I saw trick-or-treat in the US I was struck by how similar it is to Iranian ghashogh zani. I assume it has something to do with long forgotten Indo-European roots of our nations. Teenagers love setting up makeshift fireworks and flirting in the streets. In recent years, they play music and dance in the streets.
It used to be a formal holiday before Islamic fundamentalists took over Iranian government in 1979. They tried to outlaw the festival. But it has very strong roots and the efforts of Islamic republic have been wasted to this point. I read today that Tehran’s notorious persecutor has threatened that celebrants will be tried as criminals! I do not know what they are going to do with hundreds of thousands of people who pour into streets each year!
Practicing Muslims do not like this festival, since it is a blaring sign that after fourteen centuries Islamic presence in Iranian lands, people still believe in many Zoroastrian traditions. I remember when I lived in Iran, especially in mid 1980s and early 1990s, their militias used to attack us with clubs and chains for celebrating. Then they would play cassettes of recitation of Koran. It was as if a donkey is braying in the middle of Beethoven’s No. 9! Anyway, those days are just a memory now, and those Basiji (Islamic militia) losers are still losers, albeit a bit older.
I have to go celebrate now, but I will be back with a post on my beloved Nouruz!
Traditionally, you light fires at sundown and jump over them asking the fire to cleanse you soul. You may also try to divine the year ahead through hiding somewhere and listening to what passerby’s say. To solve your problems you eat a consecrated assortment of nuts and dried fruit. Children go trick-or-treating, like they do in the US on Halloween, but they call it “ghashogh zani”. The first time I saw trick-or-treat in the US I was struck by how similar it is to Iranian ghashogh zani. I assume it has something to do with long forgotten Indo-European roots of our nations. Teenagers love setting up makeshift fireworks and flirting in the streets. In recent years, they play music and dance in the streets.
It used to be a formal holiday before Islamic fundamentalists took over Iranian government in 1979. They tried to outlaw the festival. But it has very strong roots and the efforts of Islamic republic have been wasted to this point. I read today that Tehran’s notorious persecutor has threatened that celebrants will be tried as criminals! I do not know what they are going to do with hundreds of thousands of people who pour into streets each year!
Practicing Muslims do not like this festival, since it is a blaring sign that after fourteen centuries Islamic presence in Iranian lands, people still believe in many Zoroastrian traditions. I remember when I lived in Iran, especially in mid 1980s and early 1990s, their militias used to attack us with clubs and chains for celebrating. Then they would play cassettes of recitation of Koran. It was as if a donkey is braying in the middle of Beethoven’s No. 9! Anyway, those days are just a memory now, and those Basiji (Islamic militia) losers are still losers, albeit a bit older.
I have to go celebrate now, but I will be back with a post on my beloved Nouruz!
Comments:
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Hello Mohammad,
A little late but wanted to wish you a Happy Nouruz! TTYS, Lorraine
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A little late but wanted to wish you a Happy Nouruz! TTYS, Lorraine
# posted by 
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