Fun and festivities in Iran - celebrations, festivals and cultural events

Event tourism has become more popular in the country in recent years. Nowadays, numerous tourists visit other countries to not only enjoy excursions, beach recreation or simply shop but also to learn more about traditions and customs of the destination country, to feel its unique atmosphere, and to attend its authentic holidays and events in order to get acquainted with the new culture. Iran is no exception. Taking into consideration the country’s thousand-year-old history, Iran must have many interesting festivals and celebrations that can attract curious travelers.

In December, the country celebrates Shab-e Yalda or Yalda Night. This is one of the oldest holidays, which is dedicated to the longest night of the year. This holiday is particularly important for Zoroastrian Iranians. Shab-e Yalda is at least a thousand years old. This is a respected and widely celebrated holiday, so it is very interesting to visit it and see centuries-old traditions come alive. Zoroastrianism was the official religion of Persia right until the time it was replaced by Islam. However, there are still communities that practice this religion in Iran, and Muslims treat Zoroastrians with respect.

In February, Tehran hosts the Fajr International Film Festival. Iranians like cinema; perhaps, this is the most popular form of art in the country. Iran regularly hosts many film festivals dedicated to different genres from documental films to anime. However, it is safe to say that Fajr is the most famous one. The opening event is always grandiose and pompous, and it includes a red carpet, a festive concert, and a special premiere of a film that has the honor to open up the competitive program. Naturally, the film festival attracts many tourists. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Perhaps, Nowruz is the most popular and liked holiday in Iran. This is the astronomic start of a new year in accordance with the solar calendar. The holiday is celebrated on March 20 or 21, which is also the spring equinox. This is not a Muslim holiday, but this tradition has ancient roots, so the country celebrates Nowruz with excitement every year. People traditionally clean their houses before Nowruz. City streets also get a thorough cleaning. A procession of people holding torches is an essential part of the celebration. People sing songs and then make a fire and jump over it. It is believed that jumping over the festive fire brings good luck and wealth. The whole country participates in the celebration. People visit each other’s houses, feast, and have fun.

Ramadan is the most important religious celebration for Muslims. People follow strict fasting during the Holy Month of Ramadan. They are obligated to fast from dawn to sunset. This means they refrain from food and drinking during this time. People also try to read the Quran more, pray and ask forgiveness for their sins. Ramadan ends with a big holiday. On this day, all Muslims thank Allah, visit their friends and relatives, receive guests in their houses, feast, and help the poor. The last Friday of Ramadan is particularly important in the country – Iranians show their support for Palestine on this day. It is common to see people protest, burn and destroy American and Israeli flags and other symbols of these countries. Some even make figures of the countries’ presidents and then also burn them down. Iranians believe that this way they express their solidarity with Palestine.

Festivals dedicated to fruits – pomegranate, grape, and plume – have become common in some cities in Iran during the harvesting period. During these celebrations, people perform symbolic rituals that signify harvesting. For locals, events of this type are a wonderful opportunity to have fun. As a rule, tourists are allowed to join these celebrations, so they have an opportunity to see how common folks celebrate their traditional holidays.

Sizdah Be-dar is a popular holiday that the country celebrates on the 13th day of Nowruz. It is also known as Nature’s Day. This is a popular Iranian holiday, during which people go outside to enjoy a picnic and admire nature. People try to spend outside most of this day. They also pray to Allah and thank him for his kindness. In some regions of the country, people make a special prayer asking for rain if it still wasn’t raining until that day. This day is a religious holiday that intertwines Muslim and traditional rituals of Iranian people.