Chaharshanbe Suri

The last Wednesday before Persian New Year, Iranians celebrate Chaharshanbe Suri, the festival of fire. Suri has two different meanings in Farsi, scarlet, and festive. Chaharshanbe means Wednesday, but because of the time difference, that day may fall on a Tuesday. Those who live in Los Angeles celebrate this holiday on a Tuesday. Other countries such as Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turki, and Iraq also celebrate the festival of fire because parts of those countries were once part of the Persian Empire.

The festival of fire is based on Zoroastrianism religion which has three mottos: “Good thoughts, good words, and good deeds." Persians aka Iranians were Zoroastrians until the Arabs invaded Persia in 7^th century and made life difficult for the Persians unless they changed their religion to Islam. Islamic leaders everywhere tried hard to put a stop to the celebration of Chaharshanbe Suri because they believe it is a blasphemous celebration, and label those who participate in it, “Fire Worshipers.” But Iranians refused to give up this holiday. They considered it part of their heritage that predated Islam.

A bit of Trivia: The above photo depicts Farvahar Ahura Mazda, a Zoroastrian god and symbol. Ahura Mazda is the God of the sky in Zoroastrianism religion. Ahura means Lord and Mazda means wisdom. The Japanese car, Mazda, is named after the Persian God Farvahar Ahura Mazda. Etsy sells necklaces and bracelets like this.

So, what happens during this night? People make a bonfire for a purification ritual. The fire sometimes goes much higher than the one you see in the above video which is of my nieces and their friend when they were younger. People jump over the fire and literally say, “My yellowness goes to you, and your redness comes to me,” meaning any sickness that I have, I pass it on to the fire in exchange for heat, warmth, and good health.

Families also burn a handful of rue seeds in a small pan over the stove and when the seeds start to make popping noises like popcorn, and cause smoke, they turn off the stove and walk around the house with pan in hand to spread the smoke, for good health and to ward off evil. Sometimes they swirl the smoke over someone’s head. Unfortunately, this ritual is not good for the lungs, and is banned in some countries such as in Australia.

It’s tradition to eat dried fruits and raw nuts on this night. This special mix of nuts is best purchased at a Persian markets. In Farsi, they are called Ajil-e Moshkel Gosha which means Problem Solving Nuts. It is said that if you have problems, and eat these nuts, your problem will be solved. Obviously, there is a lot of superstition attached to most of these rituals, but people still do it for the fun of it.

On this evening, there is also Ghashogh Zani, spoon banging, which is similar to the Halloween tradition when kids go trick-or-treating. Except Spoon banging can be done at any age. Men or women, boys or girls cover themselves with Chador, a loose cloth thrown over hair and body. They go from house to house, and bang their spoon to get candy, nuts, or food. When I lived in Iran, someone did that to my mom. My mom, gave the person food, but they kept ringing the doorbell. My mom got angry and started to get into a fight with the intruder, not realizing that the person under the chador was her friend pulling a prank on her. They had a good laugh about it.

There are other rituals tied to this celebration, but today, many skip a lot of it, and focus more on the bonfire ritual.