Sizdah Be-dar

Sizdah Bedar

Iranians in the Netherlands celebrating Sizdah Be-dar, April 2011
Observed by  Iran
Celebrations Picnicking outdoors
Date April 1 or 2
Frequency annual
Related to Nowruz, Charshanbe Suri

Sizdah Bedar[1] (Persian: سیزده‌بدر‎‎ – Sizdebedar)[2] is an Iranian festival held annually on the thirteenth day of Farvardin (the first month of the Iranian calendar), during which people spend time picnicking outdoors.[1] It is an official holiday in Iran, known as the Nature Day (روز طبیعت – Ruz e Tabiat).[3]

Sizdah Bedar comes following Nowruz, although it is not historically part of the latter celebration.[2]

Observances

Sizdah Be-dar is celebrated on the thirteenth day of Nowruz, the Iranian New Year. It is celebrated by leaving houses to join nature, and spending the day outdoors.

In Iranian Azerbaijan, it is called Sinzə Günü which means the "thirteenth day."

Lie of the Thirteen

Lie of the Thirteen (دروغ سیزده – Doruq e Sizda') is the Iranian version of the prank-playing April Fools' Day which is practiced on the first or the second day of April in Iran, on the day of Sizdah Be-dar.[4][5][6]

Throwing away the greenery

Greenery (Sabze) for Haft-Seen

A ritual performed at the end of the picnic is to throw away the greenery (سبزه – Sabze) collected for Haft-Seen, the customary setting of Nowruz in Iran. Touching someone else's greenery on this day or bringing it back home is considered a bad omen.

Knotting the greenery

It is also customary for young single people, especially young girls, to tie the leaves of the greenery before discarding it, expressing a wish to find a partner.

Chahardah Be-dar

Chahardah Be-dar (Persian: Čahārda' be Dar – چهارده به در‎‎) is the fourteenth day of Nowruz, which is celebrated only in Lorestan Province. Lurs stay home on the thirteenth day of Nowruz, referred to as the Strange Thirteen (سیزده غریب – Sizdah e Qarib) by them. Instead, they picnic outdoors a day after Sizdah Be-dar.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sizdah Be-dar.

References

  1. 1 2 Shahbazi, A. Shapur. "NOWRUZ ii. In the Islamic Period". Encyclopædia Iranica. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
  2. 1 2 Mosaheb, Gholamhossein, ed. (2002) [1966]. "سیزده‌بدر" [Sizde be.dar]. The Persian Encyclopedia (in Persian). 1 (2nd ed.). Tehran: Amirkabir. p. 1404. ISBN 964303044X.
  3. ↑ "Iranians mark Sizdah Bedar in nature". Press TV. 1 April 2016.
  4. ↑ April 1st Traditions from Around the World. Taylor Mahaffey. 3 April 2014.
  5. ↑ April Fools’ Day in Iran
  6. ↑ April Fools' Day 2016: how did the tradition originate and what are the best pranks?. Emily Allen and Juliet Eysenck. 17 March 2016.
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