Festivals in Iran

Iran may not be a usual tourist destination among the travellers due to one reason or the other. But this nation is packed with plenty of annual cultural and religious festivals that provide a window into the everyday lives of the masses here. Soak up some culture with a number of the best Iranian festivals that will make your travel experience worthwhile. Attending one of these festivals is sure to enlighten you with the essence of the country.

Nowruz
Nowruz is the Persian New Year celebration. It is one of the most popular Iranian festivals celebrated on the vernal equinox. It’s a time when the streets buzz with enthusiasm as there remains a huge crowd that come out on the streets for doing their holiday shopping, choosing ceramic dishes for the Haft Seen displays and also for selecting the perfect goldfish.

Haji Firouz, the cheerful character who sings and plays his tambourine in the streets, reveals the arrival of the New Year and feasts joyfulness. During the first week of the festival, when Tehrani’s flock to the north, you can take benefit of the capital city’s clear air and empty streets as it’s a rare luxury.

Where: All around Iran
When: 20 March

Kashan Rosewater Festival
Kashan Rosewater Festival is a pleasure to both the nose and the eyes. Kashan is best known for its momentous houses, but it’s in this desert city that the fragrant pink Mohammadi rose blooms in great quantity, spreading to the region of Ghamsar as well. To enjoy this festival of Iran you can visit between May and June when you can peek in on the distilleries removing water from these delicate flowers.

Where: Isfahan
When: March – June

Chaharshanbe Suri
Iranians across the country celebrate the Chaharshanbe Suri, also known as the Red Wednesday on the eve of the last Wednesday before Nowruz. On this cherished almanack celebration, the sky glows at night with the fireworks, and bonfires set the streets blazing as there is a great gathering of people enjoying and singing “your red colour for me, my yellow colour for you.” These verses point towards that you give the fire your yellow paleness and take its warm energy. After joining in this one, you just might decide to adopt it.

Where: All around Iran
When: March

Sizdeh Bedar
The 13th or we can say the final day of Nowruz is celebrated by Iranians with a bang on sizdeh bedar. It is another famous festival in Iran. Parks become crowded with families and friends playing games, grilling kebabs, and, of course, drinking endless glasses of tea. To avoid bad luck, people stay outdoors all day long and join the festivities with their loved ones! If you’re alone, strike up a conversation with a family or friends and they’ll be more than happy to take you in and feed you.

Where: All around Iran
When: April 5

Ashura
The 10th day of Muharram, Ashura is the famous Iranian festival coinciding with the martyrdom of Imam Hussein. The gloomy performance art known as ta’zieh rebuilds this martyrdom in the Battle of Karbala and is pervasive across cities. In the city of Khorramabad, people engrossed in the symbolic ceremonial of kharrah mali or mud rubbing. It is another special chance for the locals and tourists to learn more about Shia Islam in Iran. Ashura, much like Tasua, requires an open mind and visitors’ greatest respect.

Where: All around Iran
When: 28 – 29 August

Tasua
Tasua is the 9th day of the Islamic month of Muharram. It scripts the eve of the anniversary of the 7th-century misery of Imam Hussein. Processions march down the streets across the country and gather in the mosques as the faithful beat their chest en masse in mesmerizing harmony. Meanwhile, Nazri is distributed among the people gathered. It can best be witnessed in Zanjan or Yazd.

Where: All around Iran
When: 26 – 27 August

Saffron Harvest
In this Iranian festival, the world’s most expensive spice, saffron harvest, is used open-handedly in the Persian cooking. The South Khorasan area of the country is most commonly known for its saffron fields, though the town of Natanz is also prominent. After picking the flower, then gently plucking the red stigmas and then letting them dry, you’ll determine just how labour-intensive procurement this spice is and lament removing the subtle honey-scented petals.

Where: All around Iran
When: Mid October to Early November

Yalda
Yalda is the longest night of the year and is renowned as a victory of light over darkness and of good over evil. You’ll get a hearty dose of Persian culture as you trade sweet slumber for reading about Persian heroes in the epic poem Shahnameh and receiving heavenly direction from lyric poet Hafez. All this as you crunch on the variety of nuts mixed together and red fruits such as watermelon and pomegranates, symbolic of the red of dawn and dominance of light henceforth.

Where: All around Iran
When: 21 December