Iranian festivals
Encyclopedia

Iranian Festivals

  • Nowruz
    Nowruz
    Nowrūz is the name of the Iranian New Year in Iranian calendars and the corresponding traditional celebrations. Nowruz is also widely referred to as the Persian New Year....

    : the word now means new and the word ruz means day, so nowruz means starting a new day and it is the Celebration of the start of spring ("Rejuvenation"). It starts on the first day of spring (also the first day of the Iranian Calendar year), 21 March, in that 12 days as a sign of the past 12 months, all Iranian families gather around and visit each other. It is also the best time to re-experience the feeling of mehr (pure love). In nowruz all families talk about their best experiences of the last year and the things they are looking forward in the next year and they all become bonded again in peace. There are many other things Iranians do for nowruz including khane tekani (cleaning the house) and haji firz, where a person who make his face black and wears a red dress, walks around the streets and entertains people by singing a special song:
  • حاجی فیروزه سالی یک روزه همه میدونن منم میدونم عید نوروز

ارباب خودم سلام علیکم ارباب خودم سرتو بالا کن ارباب خودم منو نگا کن ارباب خودم لطفی به ما کن
ارباب خودم بزبز قندی ارباب خودم چرا نمیخندی؟
بشکن بشکنه بشکن من نمیشکنم بشکن اینجا بشکنم یار گله داره اونجا بشکنم یار گله داره این سیاه بیچاره چقدر حوصله داره

  • sofreye haft sin: sofre (tablecloth), haft (seven), sin (the letter S [س]). Al-Bīrūnī said: haftsin came from jamshid because he destroyed the evil that made pars lands weak so in first day of Iranian calendar people called it nowruz (starting of a new day) and they put 7 different beans on their table as a sign of thanking nature for giving humans all they need. Since then every year Iranians put haftsin on their tables, but nowadays they put 7 things that start with letter [س]. Some people also believe that sasanian had a very beautiful plate that was given to them from China and they called it chini plate, and after some years the word chini changed into sini (a beautiful plate) so people would put 7 things in a sini.

  • Sizdah Bedar: Persian Festival of "Joy and Solidarity". The 13th and last day of Nowruz celebration. Because of the end of twelve days (a sample of twelve month) they celebrate the 13th day as a new beginning of the next twelve month and it has no relations with the number 13 (as an unlucky number). It is celebrated outdoors along with the beauty of nature. Al-Bīrūnī also called this day: tir ruz: blissed day.
  • Mehregan
    Mehregan
    Mehrgân or Jashn-e Mehregân is a Zoroastrian and Persian festival celebrated since the pre-Islamic era to honor the Yazata of "Mehr" , which is responsible for friendship, affection and love. It is also widely referred to as Persian Festival of Autumn...

    : Festival of Mehr (or Mihr). A day of thanksgiving. It is a day which everyone show the mehr or the love they have for each other and it is one of the most important days in the year.
  • Jashne Sade
    Sadeh
    Sadé or Sada Jashn-e Sada/Sadé , also transliterated as Sadeh, is an ancient Iranian tradition celebrated 50 days before Nowruz. Sadeh in Persian means "hundred" and refers to one hundred days and nights past the end of summer...

    : A mid-winter feast to honor fire and to "defeat the forces of darkness, frost and cold" in which people gather around and build a fire so that they can receive good things from the fire and give the fire their incompleteness.
  • Shabe Chelle
    Yalda
    Yalda , Yalda Night / Shab-e Yaldâ , or Shab-e Chelleh is the Persian Winter Solstice Celebration which has been popular since ancient times. Yalda is celebrated on the Northern Hemisphere's longest night of the year, that is, on the eve of the Winter Solstice...

    : The turning point. End of the longest night (darkness) of the year, and beginning of growing of the days (Lights). A celebration of Good over Evil. Also known as Shab-e Yaldā
    Yalda
    Yalda , Yalda Night / Shab-e Yaldâ , or Shab-e Chelleh is the Persian Winter Solstice Celebration which has been popular since ancient times. Yalda is celebrated on the Northern Hemisphere's longest night of the year, that is, on the eve of the Winter Solstice...

     they have special nuts for that night.
  • Sepandarmazgan: Day of Love, Friendship and Earth in ancient Persian culture.
  • Chaharshanbe Suri: Festival of Fire, last Tuesday night in the Iranian Calendar year. It marks the importance of the light over the darkness, arrival of spring and revival of nature. People do different things in this day: they build a fire and they jump over it, they eat different beans and day do: ghashogh zani: all the girls wear chadors in a way that no one can recognize them and they start tapping on a dish with spoon around midnight in the streets, awaken other people until they are paid or is given something such as candy. It is truly one of the funniest nights of the year.

Zoroastrian

The basis of nearly all of Iranian national festivals are from its Pre-Islamic Zoroastrian era. However, there are some festivals that are celebrated exclusively by Zoroastrians and some with less extent in other communities too.
  • khordadgan: celebration of the 6th day of Iranian calender. Khoordad is one of the ezadans name which means completeness. In this day people used to go near the river or a sea to thank God for everything and they gave each other flowers as a sign of happiness.
  • Bahmanagān
    Bahmanagān
    Bahmanagān or BAHMANJANA was a Zoroastrian Iranian festival which was maintained until the Mongol invasion by Iranian Muslims.-Festival:...

    : Also maintained by Iranian Muslims until the Mongol invasion. The festival was celebrated on the second day of the month of Bahman. Bahmanjana is a later modified form of Bahmanagān.
  • Spendarmard or Esfandgan- the day of love
  • Farvardingân: Festival of the Farohars ('guardian angels').
  • Jaşne Sade
    Sadeh
    Sadé or Sada Jashn-e Sada/Sadé , also transliterated as Sadeh, is an ancient Iranian tradition celebrated 50 days before Nowruz. Sadeh in Persian means "hundred" and refers to one hundred days and nights past the end of summer...

    : Festival of Fire. Lit. the 100th day (before Nowruz).
  • Jaşne Mehregân
    Mehregan
    Mehrgân or Jashn-e Mehregân is a Zoroastrian and Persian festival celebrated since the pre-Islamic era to honor the Yazata of "Mehr" , which is responsible for friendship, affection and love. It is also widely referred to as Persian Festival of Autumn...

    : Festival of Mihr (or Mehr). A day of thanksgiving dedicated to the highest Angel, Mithra (c.f. Metatron
    Metatron
    Metatron or Mattatron is the name of an angel in Judaism and some branches of Christian mythology. There are no references to him in the Jewish Tanakh or Christian Scriptures...

    ).
  • Jaşne Tiregân
    Tiregan
    Tiregân also known as Jashn-e Tiregân is an ancient Iranian festival coinciding with the mid summer festivals. -Overview:...

    : Festival of Tir. A day dedicated to Tishtrya
    Tishtrya
    Tishtrya is the Avestan language name of an Zoroastrian benevolent divinity associated with life-bringing rainfall and fertility. Tishtrya is Tir in Middle- and Modern Persian...

    , Angel of the star Sirius and rain. Also celebrated in some Muslims regions up this day including Mazandaran.
  • Nowruz
    Nowruz
    Nowrūz is the name of the Iranian New Year in Iranian calendars and the corresponding traditional celebrations. Nowruz is also widely referred to as the Persian New Year....

    : New Year's Day
    New Year's Day
    New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...

    . March (first day of Spring).
  • Xordâd Sâl (Khordad Sal
    Khordad Sal
    Khordad Sal is the birth anniversary of Zoroaster. Zoroastrians all over the world, specifically in India celebrate the day in a great glamor. Parties and ghambars are held. Special prayers and jashans are also held throughout the entire day...

    ): Birthday of the Prophet Zarathushtra.
  • Zartosht No-Diso
    Zartosht No-Diso
    Zartosht no-diso, or Zarthost no deeso, is an important day of mourning in the Zoroastrian religion. It is a commemoration of the death anniversary of the prophet Zoraster. It is observed on the 11th day of the 10th month...

    : Anniversary commemorating the death of the Prophet Zarathushtra.
  • Azargan
  • Abanigan

Islamic

  • Ramadan
    Ramadan
    Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and...

     (Ramazan in Iran): Iranian have special recipes as Zoolbia-Bamieh, Shole Zard, Ferni, Halva and Ash Reshteh in Ramezan.
  • Eid ul-Fitr
    Eid ul-Fitr
    Eid ul-Fitr, Eid al-Fitr, Id-ul-Fitr, or Id al-Fitr , often abbreviated to Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting . Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity," while Fiṭr means "breaking the fast"...

     or Eid e Fetr: "The Festival of Fast-Breaking" which comes at the end of Ramadan. People give gifts and money to poor people, patients and the handicapped.
  • Ashurah and Tasoa: Shi'a Muslims observe the day in mourning for Hussein and in remembrance of his martyrdom. In Iran, Iranians perform Ta'zieh, the old Iranian dramatic parade (post Islamic era). There exists also a rather special recipe for some special drinks in this festival. Many people cook something and offer it to their neighbors as gifts.
  • Nimeh Şabân
    Muhammad al-Mahdi
    Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Mahdī is believed by Twelver Shī‘a Muslims to be the Mahdī, an ultimate savior of humankind and the final Imām of the Twelve Imams...

    : celebration for the twelfth and final Shi'a Imam. The festival consists of some fireworks and decorating the cities with lights, bulbs and trees.
  • Ghadr nights
    Laylat al-Qadr
    Lailatul Qadr , the Night of Destiny, Night of Power, Night of Value, the Night of Decree or Night of Measures, is the anniversary of two very important dates in Islam that occurred in the month of Ramadan...

    : the "Night of Qadr" towards the end of Ramadan, which is when the first verses of the Qur'an were revealed to Muhammad. Iranian stay awake the nights and light candles.
  • Ghorban ceremony: "The Festival of Sacrifice". In Iran, Iranian sacrifice sheeps and offer the meat to neighbors and also poor people for free. There is also a barbecue in almost every house.

Christian

Majority of Iranian Christians are Armenian-Iranians also known as Parska-Hye who follow Oriental Orthodox branch of Christianity. This minority has their very own special festivals and traditions.

Iran has an over-whelmingly Muslim population but the Christian Community has a visible presence. During Christmas times, Christmas Trees can be seen from Windows in Tehran and north-western provinces. Although Christmas has an official recognition in Iran, it is not a national holiday.

Jewish

  • Purim Festival
    Purim
    Purim is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from destruction in the wake of a plot by Haman, a story recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther .Purim is celebrated annually according to the Hebrew calendar on the 14th...

  • Illanout (tree festival)
    Tu Bishvat
    Tu Bishvat or Tu B'Shevat is a minor Jewish holiday, occurring on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat . It is also called "The New Year of the Trees" or...

     Celebrated in February, it is identical to Shab-e Cheleh
    Yalda
    Yalda , Yalda Night / Shab-e Yaldâ , or Shab-e Chelleh is the Persian Winter Solstice Celebration which has been popular since ancient times. Yalda is celebrated on the Northern Hemisphere's longest night of the year, that is, on the eve of the Winter Solstice...

     and is a lot more elaborate, reminiscence of the pre-Islamic celebrations
  • Shabe Sal
    Passover
    Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...

    , lit. Night of the Year: The night of the end of Passover, when chametz
    Chametz
    Chametz, also Chometz, and other spellings transliterated from , are leavened foods that are forbidden on the Jewish holiday of Passover. According to Jewish law, Jews may not own, eat or benefit from chametz during Passover...

     can once again be eaten. It is usually celebrated with many types of breads and dairy items. This festival is unique to Persian Jews
    Persian Jews
    Persian Jews , are Jews historically associated with Iran, traditionally known as Persia in Western sources.Judaism is one of the oldest religions practiced in Iran. The Book of Esther contains some references to the experiences of Jews in Persia...

    , and is not celebrated in this way by most other Jews.
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