The Grape Festival

The grape festival is one of the ancient traditional ceremonies that has been celebrated for three thousand years in another region of Iran where grapes have been cultivated. This festival takes place at the end of summer and coincides with the grape harvest. The beautiful grape festival and the traditional ceremony of “Doshab Peyzan” are spiritual heritages of Urmia that have been registered in the list of Iran’s national heritage. This festival used to be held as a sign of gratitude to the Creator during the grape harvest and the preparation of grape syrup in the pre-Islamic period in Azerbaijan. After the advent of Islam, for a long time, it was practiced by Christians and Armenians due to religious beliefs. Muslims call this festival “Shanadar” and Christians call it “Oshanka”. “Shanadar” (Shan or Shandidar, from the two words “Shan” meaning grape and “Dare” meaning picking) is often held in villages such as Gerdabad, Digleh, Rasimabad, Ghoshchi, Jamalabad, Gulan, and others. People respected their traditions and divine blessings. Grapes were considered sacred to them, so they avoided eating them before this festival. Most guests wore white clothes and tried not to cut the grapes or let them fall to the ground while picking them, as it was considered a sin and disrespect. Some locals believed that vinegar should only be made by certain individuals and injecting vinegar into grapes would spoil them.

The magnificent grape festival is usually held in late Shahrivar or early Mehr (the sixth and seventh months of the Persian calendar, respectively) when the grapes are fully ripe. On the morning of the festival day, people gather around Lake Urmia and also in the vineyards. In the square, people wait for the “Ilbashi” (tribal leader), the chief of the tribe and the initiator of the ceremony. Accompanied by four women (symbolizing the four elements of earth, water, air, and fire) and a small boy and girl (symbolizing the continuation of life), dressed in special costumes, they enter the hall with baskets of grapes. The Ilbashi begins by thanking God for his blessings and recites a special prayer for the grape festival in Azerbaijani and its Persian translation. After performing prayers, the young boy and girl welcome the people with small baskets of grapes, and each participant takes some grapes as a blessing. Some people make vows to offer sacrifices. They also ask God to protect their vineyards and their products from calamities such as locusts, storms, and floods, and to bless them. Then, they start extracting grape juice with tools, utensils, and special devices. Local wrestlers also perform traditional local music and Azerbaijani songs (such as Qasemjeh and Bayati) with non-religious and joyous chants. These are accompanied by local dancers and group dances (Yalli) in a long line (symbolizing unity). The grape-catching competition, the presentation of grape products and derivatives such as syrup, vinegar, raisins, etc., are other parts of this beautiful ceremony.