Chaharshanbe Suri (Fire Festival)
Chaharshanbe Suri, an ancient Iranian festival celebrated on the eve of the last Wednesday of the year, before Norooz (Iranian New Year), has been held for at least 1700 years before Christ. Jumping over bonfires, spoon banging, firecrackers, and other customs.
Also known as Chaharshanbe Suri, it is named in Persian for Wednesday, the name “Wednesday” in Iranian calendars, and “Suri,” which likely means “red” and refers to fire or ember. On the eve of the last Wednesday of the Persian year, known as Chaharshanbe Suri or the Iranian Fire Festival, special customs are observed, in which everyone, especially children, eagerly participate.
Chaharshanbe Suri is an Iranian festival held on the eve of the last Wednesday before Norooz. The term Chaharshanbe Suri is composed of two words meaning “Wednesday” and “celebration/red,” in which the old and young gather together and jump over a fire that remains lit all night. These fire jumpings symbolize kindness, friendship, and light.
More read in the Fire Festival retains a remnant of the ancient Zoroastrian religion, in which fire represents the light or wisdom of God. Zoroastrians, the official religion of Iran (present-day Iran) from 600 BC to 650 AD, built fire temples and shrines where the fire was always kept burning. The ruins of these sacred shrines are now considered significant ancient sites in Iran, Iraq, and India.
Before the start of the festival, people gather wood in an outdoor open space. At sunset, after lighting one or more bonfires, they jump over the flames and recite the phrase “Zardi-ye man az to, Sorkhi-ye to az man,” which literally means “My yellow is yours, your red is mine,” or the local equivalent. This is considered a purification act.
The Chaharshanbe Suri festival has its roots in Zoroastrian celebrations of the battle against darkness. Certainly, this religion, which has long been respected, does not emphasize rituals but rather moral teachings such as “good words, good thoughts, and good deeds.” Undoubtedly, Chaharshanbe Suri is one of the most popular ways to welcome Norooz. A mixture of dried fruits and nuts called “ajil,” usually served throughout the night, is believed to make people kinder and more generous, and is made with salted pistachios, almonds, walnuts, apricots, plums, and raisins.
Most importantly, on this night, Iranians light numerous public bonfires on the streets and jump over them. A few days before the celebrations, rural communities collect bundles of branches and twigs, buying a lot of firewood and charcoal in cities. The festivities start early in the evening and continue all night. While participants jump over the fire, they shout, “Zardi-ye man az to, Sorkhi-ye to az man,” meaning “I give you my yellow, and you give me your red,” wishing to exchange illness and troubles for health, wealth, and happiness for the coming year.
Another notable tradition of Chaharshanbe Suri is the practice of spoon banging (koobide), and pot breaking (kozeh shekani). During the spoon banging ritual, young people cover themselves with blankets and go door-to-door, banging spoons on pots and pans. They continuously bang on their kettles until someone opens the door. Both girls and boys use this as an opportunity to meet their favorite neighbors in disguise and potentially establish a relationship with a loved one. Upon hearing the sounds of the pot and pan, the homeowner welcomes the young visitors and offers them snacks, nuts, and other treats in their bowls. This tradition is somewhat similar to trick-or-treating on Halloween. After jumping over the fire, smash a pot. This tradition symbolizes transferring misfortune to the pot itself and breaking the pot to eliminate bad luck. This tradition is held with slight variations in different regions of Iran. In some provinces, some choose an old, unusable pot instead of a new one.
Tehranis put some coins in the pot and throw it from the rooftop to the street. In Arak, they fill the pot with barley grains. Throughout Khorasan, a piece of coal is put as a symbol of misfortune, salt for warding off the evil eye, and some coins for charity before breaking it in the pot. The Fire Festival, with its theme of annual purification and fresh beginnings, is a symbol that ends the year with a cleansing ritual and banishing misfortunes. The cheerful songs of youth fill the air, and the smell of wood fills the air as the fire illuminates the sky. Everyone eats snacks and gains spirits for a proper welcome to the Iranian New Year.
