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Odes
of Hafez or Ferdowsi’s
Book of Kings
in Kabul or Dushanbe (and
increasingly in Los Angeles and Toronto) as in Tehran, and
Noruz
cele-
brations are invariably the highlight of the year wherever Iranians live.
US President Barack Obama began giving an annual
Noruz
address in
2009, and in Canada it is a recognized holiday.
Noruz
is unquestionably the greatest single event of the calen-
dar year, not just for Iranian peoples including Kurds, Afghans, and
I r a n i n Wo r l d H i s t o r y
122
Tajiks but also many non-Iranians including Turkic-speakers such as
Uzbeks and Kazakhs who consider it “their” national holiday. An echo
of Mesopotamian myth survives within the now entirely secular and
non-sectarian celebrations of
Noruz
itself, in the form of a trickster
figure called Hajji Firuz who dances about and teases children. Hajji
Firuz wears red (like the Christian Santa Claus), but his face is black,
symbolizing his recent emergence from the world of the dead. The same
symbol is connected with a number of young, handsome martyrs from
Iranian mythology—for example, Siyamak and Siyavash from the
Book
of Kings
(both names contain the word “black”).
Unlike most Shi‘ite rituals but in common with Zoroastrian ones,
Noruz
is a joyous celebration of life and family. All Iranians observe
it, regardless of their ethnic or religious backgrounds. It is perhaps
the single most unifying marker of Iranian identity. Sources from the
early centuries of Islam provide numerous accounts of how Iranian
Muslims continued to celebrate their “national holiday” alongside
Zoroastrians, despite frequent opposition from the religious au-
thorities. Entreaties by the likes of medieval theologian Mohammad
Ghazali that
Noruz
should be “considered a simple, ordinary day like
Th e I s l a m ic R e p u b l ic o f I r a n
123
any other day and ignored”
10
went manifestly unheeded by the popu-
lation at large.
In contemporary Iran as well, Islamic rule has had to accom-
modate the Iranians’ love of
Noruz
, even certain aspects to which it
objects. The Tuesday night before
Noruz
, called
Chahar-shanbe suri
, is
a time when Iranians set bonfires and jump over them, speaking to the
The traditional New Year’s spread (sofre-ye haft sin) features seven items that
begin with the letter S: sabzeh (sprouts), samanu (pudding), sib (apple), serkeh
(vinegar), sir (garlic), senjed (dried oleaster), and somaq (a fruity spice). The
spread also typically includes other items such as a copy of the Qur’an, a mirror,
and live goldfish. The Iranian New Year, Noruz, is the most important festival
of the year and is celebrated by peoples from the Balkans to Central Asia and
India.
Photo by Manya Saadi-nejad
I r a n i n Wo r l d H i s t o r y
124
fire: “May you take from me my yellow (that is, ‘my fear’); may I take
from you your red (‘your courage and vitality’)”—clearly an example
of a very ancient ritual that has nothing whatsoever to do with Islam.
The nationwide fire-jumping lasts for hours and is often accompanied
by firecrackers and other chaotic expressions of joy and anarchy. With
eighty million people simultaneously involved, it is impossible for Iran’s
security forces to maintain any semblance of public order during this
wild and crazy evening.
Noruz
is seen as a time of renewal, and Iranians typically spend
weeks cleaning their homes in preparation for it. They lay out a spe-
cial spread called
haft sin
, “seven [things beginning with the letter] S,”
which also includes a holy book (the Qur’an, the Avesta, or even the
Odes of Hafez) and usually a bowl of water with live goldfish. There
is also a plate of sprouts, symbolizing new vegetable life, which are
kept till the thirteenth day of
Noruz
, called
Sizdah be-dar
(Thirteenth
Outside), when they are taken out and cast into a body of flowing water
such as a river or stream.
On the day of
Noruz
itself families sit together and count down
excitedly to the moment of the equinox—even if it occurs in the mid-
dle of the night—and then rush into each others’ arms with hugs and
kisses to welcome in the new year. This event is followed by a two-week
national holiday during which people visit each other’s homes in turn,
sharing tea, sweets, and conversation. It is a joyful time of year, but no
business gets done.
Noruz
is perhaps the most visible sign of Iranian
influence on neighboring peoples, being celebrated as a national holiday
throughout Central Asia, the Caucasus, and as far west as the Balkans.
For much of history the Iranian world encompassed lands from
Mesopotamia to the marches of India and China, even if the bor-
ders never remained fixed for very long. But if Iran is above all an
affinity
—an affective notion, rather than a political one—then borders
are perhaps not what matters most.
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