Nowrooz

Now that I am writing these sentences, some minutes later Nowrooz will come.

Nowrooz is great celebration of Iranian culture and, doubtlessly, one of the most archaic celebrations all over the world. Our calendar is solar. For Iranians, since thousands years ago, the moment which everything in the nature begins to rebirth, has been very important and even – I can say – magic! In Persian language, "now" means new, fresh, and "rooz" means day.

The religious political regime established after 1979 revolution, often has divided ceremonies and rites into two groups: national ceremonies and religious ceremonies. Of course, this dividing is rooted in people's conception. In the past, some religious authorities like Ghazali (who lived about ten centuries ago), was considering Nowrooz ceremony as an unholy/pagan rite and was rejecting it. In fact, after collapsing Sasanian Empire in 642 AD, prevailing Islam among Iranian as a foreign religion emerged a duality in the surface of Iranian consciousness: at first sight, our religion was from Arab, and other parts of our culture were Persian. But, this duality, there is only in surface and not in depth. Because, Iranian along the time make some changes in the formal and common version of Islam and they create a new version called Shiism which has characteristics of Persian religions.

I do not want to elaborate on Persian elements in Shiism. (Perhaps I would deal with this subject in next posts.) But, awakening of this point that actual political structure in Iran, despite its Islamic tendency, is completely Persian (through Persian elements in Shiism), time after time has made me astonishing. This is a monumental reality which is concealed and usually there has been a trend to cushion it by religious and non- religious people both! Advocates of religion conceal it in order to demonstrate authenticity and originality of Shiism and secular people – especially those who are nationalist – conceal it in order to pretend ancient Iranian with their glorious and imposing political power, were behaving another way.

Whereas, ancient Iranian were completely religious people and all their ceremonies have had religious content, as other ancient people were like this.

According to Shahnameh – the book of our national stories – Keikhosrow who was the most spiritual personality in our national stories, has had a great mysterious revelation in Nowrooz. Then, these moments are so holy and spiritual. And Nowrooz must consider not only national, but also religious ceremony of Iranian people.

The photo you are seeing is the "haftseen" table in my home which is a rite in Nowrooz.