Sizdah Bedar
“Thirteen bedar” or “Sizdah Bedar” (also known as Nature’s Day) in Persian means spending the thirteenth day of the new year outdoors, which is the thirteenth day of the Iranian New Year celebrations and the last day of the New Year holidays in Iran.
Nature’s Day, Thirteen Bedar, Nowruz, Iranian New Year, “Sizdah Bedar” in Persian means spending the thirteenth day of the new year outdoors, which is the thirteenth day of the Iranian New Year celebrations and the last day as well. Iranian New Year holidays thirteen to thirteen bedar is one of the oldest rituals in Iranian culture. “Thirteen” in Persian is the number 13, and “bedar” means getting rid of something, so “Sizdah Bedar” means “getting rid of thirteen,” which is usually perceived as an unlucky number. However, contrary to popular belief, 13 is not considered a bad omen in Iranian culture. In fact, in the Iranian calendar, none of the days of the year are considered unlucky or unlucky. On the contrary, each day of the week and month has beautiful names associated with some aspects of nature or God. The thirteenth day of each month in the Persian calendar is called “Tir Day.” This name is derived from a star that ancient Iranians considered a rain star and believed it to be a source of God’s grace and blessings.
For this reason, the thirteenth day of the first month of Farvardin is chosen as the first Tirgan ceremony. The aim was to officially end the Nowruz celebrations with joy and alongside nature. Therefore, Thirteen to Door, was a conclusion to the most important ceremony of the year. The history of thirteen bedar in Iran dates back to 4000 years ago based on Iranian myths, Zoroastrian beliefs, and Babylonian / Sumerian narratives.
However, historical records of the Sizdah Bedar festival date back to the Qajar texts (19th and 20th centuries). Sizdah Bedar, also known as Nature’s Day, is an Iranian festival held every year on the thirteenth day of Farvardin, the first month of the Iranian calendar, during which people spend their time outdoors in a picnic style with family and friends. On this day, Iranian people leave their homes and spend their time outdoors in a picnic style with family and friends.
Since this is the last day of the celebrations and holidays of the New Year, Iranians like to entertain themselves with dance, music, games, and enjoying special foods together. Also, on this special day, people have the opportunity to enjoy the fresh scent of spring before returning to school or work the next day, which is why it is also called “Nature’s Day.” One of the most popular traditions on Sizdah Bedar is celebrating the day with eating special foods.
The most common of these is eating “Aash Reshteh,” which is one of the most popular thick soups in Iranian cuisine. Aash Reshteh consists of noodles (similar to spaghetti) and Kashk (a special sour dairy product) and is usually prepared in Iran and Azerbaijan. “Kahou Senjabin” is one of the specialties of this special day. “Senjabin” is a drink made with vinegar and honey, and by combining it with the Kahou thread, “Kahou Senjabin” is prepared, which is a suitable thread to enjoy the warm weather. One of the customs of this day is throwing away the greenery from their Nowruz table called “Haft Seen.” People throw away this wheat or lentil sprout called “Sabzeh” with the belief that they have thrown away all the sorrows, pains, and illnesses of the New Year.
“Kahou Senjabin” is one of the specialties of this special day. Another tradition of this day is tying knots in grass and wishing for future partners. This is usually done by young girls and boys, and when they untie the knot, they believe they have also untied their luck. This knot represents the bond between man and woman. Young married couples also like to perform this ceremony to wish for babies or other things they want to achieve (Thirteen promise) The Iranian version of April Fool’s Day is a joke on the first or second day of April in Iran, on the thirteenth bedar day. According to reports, since 536 BC, in the Achaemenid Empire, unspecified jokes have been played at this festival.
One of the traditions of this day is to throw away the greenery from their Nowruz table called “Haft Seen.” Many believe that the date of thirteen bedar goes back to the time of Jamshid, the fourth king of the Achaemenid dynasty according to the Shahnameh. In Iranian myths and folklore, Jamshid is remembered as the fourth and greatest king of the Achaemenid dynasty. However, there is ample evidence from Sumerian and Babylonian tablets that the Sizdah Bedar festival may have been around for about 4000 years. The rain myth is an interesting story about Tishtar, the rain god, who defeated the drought demon on this day and turned it into a sacred day.
