Our flight was very late, the night of Charchanbeh souri. I expected to share wonderful moments in Iran celebrating this tradition that I taught to my sons and we did it every single year out of Iran (sometimes late at night, I brought my family in a park full of snow and made fire in a small metalic food cane with the dried leaves and paper...trying not to be seen by people who might have thought we would have been the witches!!!) ...With a big surprise, we realized that this interesting tradition is going to disappear because of the dangerous attitude and actions of ignorants who wanted to have fun using s someexplosives and fire works in the small streets, so dangerous for people, houses and cars...that evening we were supposed to leave my brother's house and go to Bahram's sister's house...we started calling all private and local cab companies but non of them were avalable! We were finally told that all the cabs would stopp their shifts at 4 p.m because it was too dangerous to drive and non of them were available eventhough we started to call after 2 p.m! It was impossible to ask someone of the family to drive us to the destination or ask someone from Bahram's family to come and pick-us up because of the traffic and the danger!
We had a hard time to find a cab but by mircle and thanks to my brother, we could finally catch one in the street who accepted to do it for 3 times the price of a normal journey knowing that no other cars would be available after!
Upset about being blocked at home and being scared of the terrible noises of the explosives outside, not being able to do Charchanbehsouri where it should be celebrated, I thought that it was not question of missing this symbolic tradition after 55 years of doing it (jumping on the small light of a candel or a real fire), I suggested to do what we did last year inside of our hotel : use candels...My sister in Law brought a few candels and we all jumped on the candels singing: zardi-ye man az to, sorkhi-ye to az man.(read the meaning below).
I love nature and spring is so important to me...and I like our Norooz tradition which prepares us for the renewal....It was hard to do all about Norooz out of Iran, in France and in Canada...but from the moment I got married and had our small family, I decided to do it eventhough sometimes I had to run out of my job and do it with so much stress, fighting against the time and screaming on Bahram and boys to get ready and be around Haft-seen before winter changed for spring, hands in hands even for a short time..I had prepared the 7 seens, including the red fish, Sabzeh and Sonbol (sometimes very hard to find). I had always made my own Sabzeh eventhough sometimes I had just the beginning of the sprouts coming up, I did it...As it says in the famous song 'Yes, I did it my way!'.
I did it because it has always represented my attachment to our Persian heritage, my roots, Bahram's roots and our sons blood roots...so, I wish that we can keep this tradition which is so meaningful to all of us remembering all its symbolic aspects...renewal through cleansing (body, mind...) and preparation for the new year..like the other elements of Nature...
Happy Noorouz to all...
Here some information about this beautiful tradition:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaharshanbe_Suri
Chaharshanbe Suri
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the festival. For the film, see Chaharshanbe Suri (film).
Chahārshanbe-Sūri (Persian: چهارشنبه سوری, pronounced Chārshambe-Sūri) meaning Wednesday Feast, from the word sour which means feast inPersian [1] ,or more plausibly, consider sūr to be a variant of sorkh (red) and take it to refer either to the fire itself or to the ruddiness(sorkhī), meaning good health or ripeness, supposedly obtained by jumping over it [1], is an ancient Iranian festival dating back to at least 1700 BCE of the earlyZoroastrian era.[2] Also called the Festival of Fire, it is a prelude to Nowruz, which marks the arrival of spring. The words Chahar Shanbeh meanWednesday and Suri means red. Bonfires are lit to "keep the sun alive" until early morning.[3] The celebration usually starts in the evening, with people making bonfires in the streets and jumping over them singing zardi-ye man az to, sorkhi-ye to az man. The literal translation is, my sickly yellow paleness is yours, your fiery red color is mine. This is a purification rite.[4] Loosely translated, this means you want the fire to take your paleness, sickness, and problems and in turn give you redness, warmth, and energy. There are Zoroastrian religious significance attached to Chaharshanbeh Soori and it serves as a cultural festival for Iranian people: Persian Jews, Persian Muslims, Persian Armenians, Kurds, and Zoroastrians.
Another tradition of this day is to make special ajeel, or mixed nuts and berries. People wear disguises and go door to door knocking on doors as similar to Trick-or-treating. Receiving of the Ajeel is customary, as is receiving of a bucket of water.
Ancient Iranians celebrated the last 5 days of the year in their annual obligation feast of all souls, Hamaspathmaedaya (Farvardigan or popularly Forodigan). They believed Faravahar, the guardian angels for humans and also the spirits of dead would come back for reunion. There are the sevenAmesha Spenta, that are represented as Haftseen or literally the seven S. These spirits were entertained as honored guests in their old homes, and were bidden a formal ritual farewell at the dawn of the New Year. The festival also coincided with festivals celebrating the creation of fire and humans. In Sassanid period the festival was divided into two distinct pentads, known as the lesser and the greater Pentad, or Panji as it is called today. Gradually the belief developed that the 'Lesser Panji' belonged to the souls of children and those who died without sin, whereas 'Greater Panji' was truly for all souls.
Local names
Variant local names include Gūl Chārshamba (Ardabīl) and Gūla-gūla Chārshamba (Gīlān), Kola Chowārshamba (Kurdistan), Chowārshama-kolī (Qorveh, near Sanandaj), and Chārshamba-sorkhī (Isfahan)[1]. In Iranian Azerbaijan sometimes it is called Azerbaijani: آخیر چارشنبه (last Wednesday), and in Azerbaijan Republic it is called Azerbaijani: Od çərşənbəsi (Fire Wednesday).
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Last Wednesday of the year
The last Wednesday of the Iranian year known as Chahar Shanbeh Suri (Chahār shanbé Sūrī - usually pronounced Chārshambé-sūrī), the eve of which is marked by special customs and rituals, most notably jumping over fire. On the eve of last Wednesday of the year (Tuesday night, Wednesday morning), literally the eve of 'Red Wednesday' or the eve of celebration, bonfires are lit in public places with the help of fire and light, it is hoped for enlightenment and happiness throughout the coming year. People leap over the flames, shouting: Sorkhi-ye to az man; Zardi-ye man az to (Give me your beautiful red colour; And take back my sickly pallor)
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Astrology
Much of the symbolism of this act links to astrological connotations associated with sign of Pisces or Esfand, or the 12th House related to the subconscious mind, hidden resources, hidden problems, social responsibility. The human has to face his ultimate fears and does so by jumping over the fire. That cleansing act is necessary before the advent of the Spring at the Vernal Equinox. Wednesday is chosen because of its ancient association with being the fourth day of Mercury or Kherad, and Mercury being the messenger of Gods.
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Fal-Gûsh
Iranians believe that certain days are especially good for divination. During the Chaharshanbe Suri, divination, especially by listening to the conversations of the passers by and interpreting that which is heard (fālgūsh) as a sign is quite common . Fortunetellers, (fālgīr), who are mostly gypsies, are still active in some parts of Iran[5].
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The Pearl Cannon (Toop e Morvarid)
A custom once in vogue in Tehran was to seek the intercession of the so-called Pearl Cannon on Chaharshanbe Suri. This heavy gun, which was cast by the Persian foundryman Ismāīl Isfahānī in 1800, during the reign of Fath Ali Shah, became the focus of many popular myths . Until the 1920s it stood in the Meydān-e Arg, to which Tehranis used to flock on the eve of Chaharshanbe Suri; spinsters and childless or unhappy wives climbed up and sat on the barrel or crawled under it, and mothers even made ill-behaved and troublesome children pass under it in the belief that doing so would cure their naughtiness. These customs died out when the Pearl Cannon was moved to the Army's Officer’s Club sometime in the 1300s . Apparently there was another Pearl Cannon in Tabriz; girls and women used to fasten their dakhils (pieces of paper or cloth inscribed with wishes and prayers) to its barrel on the eve of Chaharshanbe Suri [1]. In times the cannon has been used as aSanctuary for political or non-political fugitives to be immune to arrest or to protest from family problems [6].
Sadegh Hedayat ,Iranian modern writer of prose fiction and short stories , has a book with the name of this cannon , Tūp-e morvari , that criticize the old beliefs of Iranian folk and in the book points to the origin of the Tūp-e morvari.
Today the Pearl Cannon is placed in the opening of the building number 7 of the Iranian foreign ministry in the 30 Tir avenue , and the Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran still is in argue with foreign ministry to displace the gun to a museum [7][8].
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