Charchanbeh suri, The Festival of Fire


 Chahārshanbe Suri (Wednesday feast or fire festival)            By Mandana


             

Chahārshanbe Suri is a celebration which is notable for having its origins in Zoroastrianism. This festival is recognized as one of the pre-Islamic Persian cultural heritages which has survived to the present day. This celebration which has been celebrated for thousands of years, takes place on the final Tuesday evening of the Persian solar year, just before Nowruz (the Persian New Year). This year, it falls on Tuesday 18th March.  

Every year, during Chahārshanbe Suri, various traditional rituals used to take place, some of the most significant ones included:

·         Jumping over bonfire: As fire is one of the four holy elements of the Zoroastrian faith, jumping over the bonfires is the most significant activity in this festival. This ritual symbolizes the transition from the darkness of winter into the light of spring, our ancestors believed that the fire would take away negative energy and sickness.

·       Spoon banging: During the evening, children would go out into the street and bang on pots and pans with spoons. They believed that this practice would help ward off evil spirits from the neighborhoods. The neighbors used to give them treats, similar to the Halloween tradition of trick-or-treating.  

·       Pot smashing: Families would fill an old pot with salt, charcoal and coins, then throw it from the roof of their house onto the street. The pot symbolized the old year, while the salt, charcoal, and coins represented their pains and misfortunes from the past year. This ritual represented releasing negative experiences and welcoming the new year with positivity.

·   . Traditional food and snacks: One of the famous traditional dishes for the fire festival was a Persian legume soup called Ash-e Reshteh. Another popular food was a sweet fruit and nut mixture called Ajil, which did not contain salt. The sweet flavor was intentional, as people believed that consuming sweet foods during the celebration would lead to a sweet and prosperous year ahead. In this way, my ancestors would say farewell to past year, with all its ups and downs, and welcomed the new year with hope and optimism.

Same as the past, the fire festival is still celebrated widely amount Persian communities worldwide. In contrast to the past, some of the rituals associated with this ceremony, such as spoon banging and pot smashing, have gradually become less popular over time. This festival still remains highly popular and cherished by many. People often gather with their relatives to enjoy traditional food and participate in the customary act of jumping over the bonfire. Furthermore, a wide variety of street foods, dazzling fireworks, and vibrant performances like public dances and music contribute to the lively, celebratory atmosphere of the event. This is how we now welcome and celebrate the arrival of our new year.

I believe that cultural traditions, regardless of race or nation, serve to foster hope for the future and gratitude for the past. These traditions are invaluable heritages that should be preserved and appreciated by present and future generations.

                                                                     

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