Anar ( pomegranate) Celebration

“Anar (Pomegranate) Celebration”

In one of the farthest village of “Roodbar”, called “Anbuh” which is located on the borders of “Ghazvin”, a celebration named “Anar (Pomegranate) Celebration” is hold annually.
In such a day all the habitants of the village take part in the ceremony. The old of the village wear their best and local suits and ride on horses and sing local songs together.
After the permission of the chief of the village they begin picking the pomegranates and put them into special baskets. The young of the village shoot weapons and people congratulate each other. Then the chief divide the pomegranates among the poor and each get their annual share.
After eating lunch, fried steak, all of them take the share to their own store on the horses.
This is the most memorable day during their life.

Editors: Razieh Bahri
Matin Bahri

Special thanks:
Alireza Bahri
Mani Mosaffa

& Dr Jaleh Hassas khah

Reciting elegies in “Alam vachini” was come from a very old time, from the story of “Siavash mourning”. It has been forgotten because of two elements: the passage of time and the heroic movement of Karbala’s martyrs. Of course, “Alam vachini”, nowadays, is done after harvest and also in Moharram. After the ceremony the alam was kept in the mosque and Alam-Rakht (the cloth of the alam) was stored in a bundle. They sometimes had a wrestling match and at the evening a horse racing among the people who were returning, was performed. In the areas were rice cultivated, the ceremony for Alam vachini was in a way that they cooked rice from the rice which has been stored in Tem-Bijar (the place to store rice). Today, this ceremony has been turned to a religious ceremony in Moharram and that wooden alam has changed into a metal and decorated one and does not belong to a certain family. But some villages such as Chaldasht perform this ceremony the same as the past and hold it in Mordad and Shahrivar in place known as Shah-Shahidan. In some parts of mountainous areas in the east of Guilan a ceremony is done that is very similar to Alam vachini. In Tourar, a place in east of Kelishom, there is a bogheh called as “Tourar Astaneh”. This ceremony is performed there. There is a natural pond near there that many ducks immigrate there and nobody hunt them because of that bogheh.

Alam Vachini

HARVEST CREEMONY (ALAM-VACHINI)

Was done in mountainous areas after harvest of wheat and barely, and in plain areas after harvest of rice to help farmers for getting money. They were usually held in Friday and Monday and people were informed by the “Bogheh” or “religious tomb” custodian. Every Bogheh had some people who their families were buried around and they were called as “Tekieh-sharik” (who shared in Tekieh). They helped the Bogheh custodian to aid for harvest ceremony. People got to gather around the grave yard where many old trees spread shade for them and it was very scared in their opinion. People wore their best local clothes.
Their clothes mostly white and had been sewed by some colorful ribbon. Golden or silver coins were also sewed around their waist and collars. Middle-aged women wore a black cloth called “Lachak” and a white one on it. They wore the same as the girls but simpler than them. They wore a kind of necklace carrying gold and silver coins which there were a kind of jeweler in the middle of them called as (Vaseteh-Al Aghd) and Gilak called it “Sheveh” made of Aghigh.
The young boys wore a kind of clothes called as “Las-pareh”, a black closefitting pants and were taped on both sides and a red shirt with coin buttons. Their collar was sewed from left to right. Boys wore a shawl around their waist called as “Golbandy shawl” and a vest and carried a stick from Medlar called Konous Kachak. They also wore a hat from left. They always wore it and it was impolite to go out without wearing it.The family sometimes spread a durries rug in a shadow place and had fun. Some vendors also came to there and spread their goods there to sell them. And then Tekieh-Sharik and the land owners came with glory accompanying by their family their spleen did clothes. Girls who their marriage is near went to the Bogheh to give their charitable offering (Nazri), in cash or by wooden knitting. They put it on the chest of Bogheh. Other pilgrims who lived in mountainous areas brought their milk of that day for the Bogheh as Nazri. In the afternoon the harvest was done the youth lifted a kind of thing called (Alam) made of nudge tree to honor the people (especially youth) who had died during that year. They tied the dead’s clothes to the alam and decorated by some ribbons or tapes to remind their mourning, a sort of family mourning. Opening their clothes from the alam had also a ceremony. Their family mourned when the alam came out from the bogheh. The bogheh custodian recited elegies on Imam Hosein and youth and children came over and touch their tree branches and grass to the alam to sactify them. They did not put them on the ground till to feed their farm animals with them.

Sizdeh Sal (Sizdeh be dar)

SIZDEH-SAL (SIZDEH-BE-DAR)

It is the last ceremony of Norouz. In this day, people of Guilan usually go to the woods or near the rivers and get together to have fun. Guilanean girls tie grass in this day.

Shal Andazi

SHAL-ANDAZI (WEARING SHAWL)

It was a common ceremony in mountainous areas at this night. It was sometimes like a proposal ceremony from the house owner. They usually tied some candy to the shawl and then they went to other houses without showing themselves.

Ghashogh Zani

GHASHOGH ZANI (CLAPPING SPOONS AGAINST TRAYS)

Another ceremony at this night is Ghashogh zani. At this night, usually single boys and girls (mostly girls) went over the neighbors, covering their face with a cloth ask them for a gift. They mostly got candy and sweet snakes.