Sizdah Bedar
Sizdah Bedar
Sizdah Bedar(Nature’s day) is the thirteenth day of Farvardin and is among the celebrations of Nowruz. In the official calendar of Iran, this day (Sizdah Bedar) is named the day of nature and it is a formal holiday. Some people believe that on the Sizdah Bedar(Natur’s day), they have to go out to empty the house from unlock events in nature. After the thirteenth of Farvardin, the New Year celebrations will end.
In the beginning, it is better to provide a preface about the number 13th and the day of 13th of Farvardin, and whether or not this number is present bad or unlucky in Iran and Iranian culture.
First of all we should pay attention that in Iranian culture, none of the days of the year have been considered “bad” or “ominous”, but as we know each of the days of the week and months have beautiful names in relation to one of the manifestations of nature or the goddess, and on the thirteenth day each solar month in the Iranian calendar is also called the “Tirooz”, which belongs to the Tiztar star that is a star of rain, and Iranians have chosen this day for the first year of the Tirgan of the year.
Also, in none of the ancient texts and no scholars and writers have not been mentioned this day (Thirteen of Farvardin) badly, but in most of the writings and books, the thirteenth of Nowruz, have been mentioned as good and blessed.
History of Sizdah Bedar (nature day)
As they know the background of the Nowruz celebration since Jamshid, about Sizdah Bedar (Nature’s day) is also narrated that:
Jamshid the king, will celebrate the thirteenth day of Nawroz (Nature’s day) in the green desert with donation of foods and will do it for several years in a row. As a result of this ceremony in Iran, it became a tradition and ritual and Iranians will spend Sizdah Bedar(Nature’s day) out of their houses next to the fountains of rivers in the nature … ”
As previously stated, the diversity and variety of ways to hold a ritual, and the breadth of the broader extension of a belief among peoples, based on the rules of anthropology and popular culture, indicate its long history.
Also the same ceremonies we know about Sumerian and Babylonian tablets, the New Year ceremonies in Sumer are called “Zagmug” and in Babylon, “Akito”, lasted twelve days, and on the thirteenth day, a celebration of Nature Held. Thus, Sizdah bedar (Nature’s day) are thought to have a history of at least four thousand years.
Ways of holding Sizadah Bedar (Nature’s day) ceremony
As mentioned, the practices of the Sizdah Bedar(Nature’s day), as well as the rituals and customs of the Sizdah Bedar(Nature’s day), are very diverse and extensive, which cannot be described in detail here, but as you know, the Thirteenth of Farvardin is the day of the Tishtar, and the beginning of the second half of the agriculture year, And the Iranian people went to their fields to pray and celebrate Tishtar, the god of rain and welcoming of the good year, and they rejoiced and laughed on the newly formed land, full of flowers and plants while collection of wild grass and cooking Ash and special foods.
Another part of the Sizdah Bedar(Nature’s day) rituals is the beliefs that are linked in some way with praise and inspiration. For instance, eavesdropping, fortune-telling (in particular the horoscope of the jug), knotting grass and opening it, which was the symbol of luck and fortune, which is common in Samarkand and Bukhara) and many other examples … of the Day of Sizdah Bedar(Nature’s day).
Other Sizdah Bedar(Nature’s day) ritual series, such as the Chaharshanbe Sury (the last Tuesday of the year) and Nowruz, are beautiful and lovely, group games, songs and dances, collecting medical plants, cooking together, kite playing, horse riding, happy plays, water spraying and water play a part of these religions that are rooted in mythological beliefs and culture. Including joy and laughter means the collapse of dark and dark thoughts, the rebuilding of the reconciliation, is the symbol of friendship, taking grass of the Norouz tablecloth into the water or rivers, is the sign of giving a gift to the Anahita the goddess of water and the grass knot for witnessing the placement of the mother of nature in the link between Men and women, making horse racing, which is a reminder of the conflict between the goddess of rain and the daemon of the drought.
