These days, Iranians are counting down to celebrate the last wednesday of the year called Chaharshanbe-Suri from which I have lots of memories from my childhood. Indeed, there is a great change in customs since then. Well, let's see Where it comes from and what its origin is.i
Variant local names include Gūl Chārshamba (Ardabīl) and Gūla-gūla Chārshamba (Gīlān), Kola Chowārshamba (Kurdistan), Chowārshama-kolī (Qorveh, near Sanandaj), and Chārshamba-sorkhī (Isfahan). In Iranian Azerbaijan sometimes it is called Azerbaijani: آخیر چارشنبه (last LastWednesday, and in Azerbaijan Republic it is called Azerbaijani: Od çərşənbəsi (Fire Wednesday).i
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Chahārshanbe-Sūri : meaning Wednesday Feast, from the word sour which means feast in Persian, 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, is an ancient Iranian festival dating back to at least 1700 BCE of the early Zoroastrian era. Also called the Festival of Fire, it is a prelude to Nowruz, which marks the arrival of spring. The words Chahar Shanbeh mean Wednesday and Suri means red. Bonfires are lit to "keep the sun alive" until early morning. 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. Loosely translated, this means you want the fire to take your paleness, sickness, and problems and in turn give you redness, warmth, and energy.i
Fire, not only in historic Persia, has long been held as sacred among Indians, Europeans and many other cultures. According to ancient Iranian beliefs, Azar (Fire) was the son of Ahura Mazda. Ancient Persians believed in the purity and purifying power of fire. The belief was so strong that, to prove one's innocence, people had to cross through the fire, as Siavash did in Ferdowsi's epic poem, the Shahnameh.i
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.i
There are some other rituals connected to the festival that have almost disappeared nowadays. One of them is Kuze-Shekani (earthenware jar-shattering) in which people put some coals, salt and a very cheap and worthless coin into an earthen jar and then throw it down from the roof into the alley to break. Coal and salt are signs of ill omen and bad luck and a worthless coin is the symbol of indigence. By doing this people drive away misfortunes and bad omens from their homes.i
Fâl-Gush neshini is another custom in which the girls who wish to find a husband or have any other desire to fulfill in the New Year, go out of the house into the streets and hide behind a wall and listen to the conversations of passersby. If what is overheard is positive or optimistic then their wishes will come true and if otherwise, not.i
The other ritual of this night is Qaashoq-Zani (Spoon-hitting). Young girls wrap themselves into a shroud (chador) and then while banging a spoon against a bowl go and stand at the door of neighbors, where the house owner fills their bowls with Chaharshanbe Suri's ajils. A person who receives nothing is believed to expect an unfortunate year. Sometimes young boys don a chador and do this for fun.i
Today only the name remains of many of these customs. Instead various kinds of firecrackers have become part of the celebrations. Unfortunately every year some people are hurt and hospitalized by the fireworks. Chaharshanbe Suri, however, remains one of the most important and joyous national festivals for Iranians around the world.iwwww.iranvisitor.com
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