Photos: Nowruz and the Year of the Monkey combined in Hamedan

Nowruz, as the Iranian New Year is called in Persian, means “new day” and falls on the first day of the spring equinox every year. It is an ancient ritual dating back 2500 years and is rooted in Zoroastrianism. The Chinese Lunar New Year is also known as Spring Festival, as the season signifies a new start from the depths of winter, carrying the same meaning as in Iranian culture.

This is the Year of the Monkey in Chinese zodiac. Hence, the city of Hamedan included it in its urban decoration for Nowruz, placing monkeys along the different haft-seen elements.

Haft-Seen is the traditional table setting of Nowruz in Iran. It includes seven items starting with the letter S (called seen in Persian alphabet): sabzeh (greenery: wheat, barley or lentil sprouts grown in a dish), samanu (a sweet pudding made from germinated wheat), senjed (the dried fruit of the oleaster tree), sir (garlic), sib (apples), somagh (sumac berries) and serkeh (vinegar).

Other symbolic items which are usually set along the Haft Seen are candles, a mirror, decorated coins (sekkeh in Persian), spring flowers like hyacinth (sonbol in Persian) or tulips, decorated eggs, a bowl of water with goldfish, a holy book and/or a poetry book, rose water and pomegranates.

Related articles: The other Iran | Customs & Traditions

Sources: IRNA, Nafee.ir, Wikipedia | Nowruz

Photos: Sizdah bedar ( Nature day ) in Iran

Sizdah Be-dar, literally “thirteenth in outdoors”, is an Iranian festival, and part of the Nowruz celebration rituals, held annually on the thirteenth day of the first month of the Iranian calendar (Farvardin). It is celebrated by leaving the house to spend the day outdoors, picnicking and enjoying nature. Thus this festival is also known as “Nature Day”.

A ritual performed at the end of the picnic is to throw away the sabzeh (greenery on the haft-sin table) part of the traditional table setting for Nowruz in Iran. Doruq-e Sizdah, the Iranian version of the prank-playing April Fools’ Day is also celebrated on this day.

Sizdah Bedar is customary to Iraq, Armenia, Azerbaijan and some parts of Central Asia. In cities with large populations of Iranians, like Los Angeles, it is common to see families celebrating Sizdah Bedar across the city.

Related article: The other Iran | Sizdah Bedar 2015

Photos: Sizdah Bedar 2016 in Iran – Picnicking outdoors on a sunny, rainy and even a snowy day!

Sources: Wikipedia | Sizdah Be-dar, kish.ir 1, kish.ir 2, IRNA 1, IRNA 2, IRNA 3, IRNA 4ISNA 1, ISNA 2, ISNA 3, ISNA 4, ISNA 5ISCA News, Mehr News Agency (MNA) 1, MNA 2, MNA 3, MNA 4, Fars News Agency, Tehran Picture Agency (TPA) 1, TPA 2, TPA 3, TPA 4Borna News 1, Borna News 2, Borna News 3, Tasnim News Agency (TNA) 1, TNA 2, TNA 3, TNA 4JameJam Online, Young Journalists Club (YJC) 1, YJC 2, Azad News Agency (ANA) 1, ANA 2

Iran’s Fajr International Festival of Visual Arts: Exhibition

The 8th Fajr International Festival of Visual Arts displayed at Saba Art and Cultural Institute works by over 200 Iranian and foreign artists coming from different countries including Tunisia, Pakistan, Turkey, Italy, Cuba and Kyrgyzstan.

The Niavaran Cultural Center hosted a side-section exhibit of calligraphy and miniature works under the title “Fajr and National Art” and a selection of documentaries focusing on different visual arts including painting, sculpture, miniature, pottery and ceramics was screened at the Saba Institute as well as at the cinematheque of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art.

A day dedicated to Mexican art, organized in collaboration with the Mexican Embassy, included thirty five lithographies by José Guadalupe Posada (1852–1913), considered the precursor of Mexican folk art, photos by Tina Modotti (1896-1942) that reflect the struggle of the less privileged of the post-Mexican Revolution period and sculptures by Gabriela Rodríguez, fifteen pieces commemorating the International Year of Light, celebration promoted by Mexico at the United Nations.

Short video by PressTV dedicated to this year’s Fajr International Festival of Visual Arts:

Sources: Mehr News Agency (MNA) 1, MNA 2, IRNA 1, IRNA 2, Honar Online 1, Honar Online 2, Financial Tribune, Tehran Times 1, Tehran Times 2, El Universal (in Spanish)

Photo Series: Spring in Iran – Marivan, Kurdistan Province

Marivan is a city on the Zagros mountain range, in Kurdistan Province, western Iran. West from the city, to the feet of high mountains and surrounded by thick forests lies Lake Zarivar.

Related articles: The other Iran | Landscape

Photos: Early spring days in Marivan, Kurdistan Province, Iran

Sources: Mehr News Agency, Wikipedia | Marivan, Wikipedia | Kurdistan Province

Photos: Earth Hour 2016 across Iran

Tehran and other major cities like Rasht, Shiraz, Kerman, Ahvaz, Urmia, and Isfahan celebrated Earth Hour 2016. Iran has taken part of this universal movement, switching of the lights of important elements all over the country since 2011.

Earth Hour is a worldwide movement for the planet organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The event is held annually encouraging individuals, communities, households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. towards the end of March, as a symbol for their commitment to the planet. It was famously started as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia in 2007. Since then it has grown to engage more than 7000 cities and towns worldwide.

Related article: Photos: Earth Hour 2014 in Iran

Sources: earthhour.orgWikipedia | Earth Hour, IRNA 1, IRNA 2, IRNA 3earth-hour.ir, pgnews.ir, kojaro.com

Photos: Painted eggs across Tehran

Hundreds of Nowruz eggs painted by Iranian artists were placed in five of Tehran’s parks (Mellat, Laleh, Abbas Abad, Park Shahr and Bagh-e Ferdows) during Baharestan, an urban art event to welcome spring as part of the Persian New Year celebrations. Charities have organized a workshop at the Iranian Artists’ Forum where visual artists and 120 children have painted Nowruz eggs.

Painted eggs symbolize fertility and are displayed on the Nowruz table, called Haft-Seen together with various other symbolic objects. In ancient times Zoroastrians painted eggs for Nowruz, their New Year celebration, which falls on the Spring equinox. Nowadays this Nowruz tradition is common to Iranians of Islamic, Zoroastrian, and other faiths.

Related article: Urban art event to welcome spring in Tehran

Sources: Borna News, Fars NewsISNA, Tasnim NewsMashregh NewsWikipedia | Easter egg, Honar Online 1 (Persian), Honar Online 2IRNA 1IRNA 2, Tehran Picture Agency (TPA) 1, TPA 2, TPA 3zibasazi.ir 1, zibasazi.ir 2, zibasazi.ir 3, zibasazi.ir 4, zibasazi.ir 5, zibasazi.ir 6, zibasazi.ir 7, Azad News AgencyYoung Journalists Club (YJC) 1, YJC 2, ISCA News

Iran ranks first in IPC Athletics Asia-Oceania Championships

IPC Athletics Asia-Oceania Championships 2016 was held in Dubai, UAE. Iran was ranked first with a total of 23 gold, 10 silver and 7 bronze. China finished second with 16 gold, 9 silver and 5 bronze. India was third, Japan finished in fourth place and the UAE took the fifth spot.

The event brought together about 300 athletes from almost 30 countries. A total of 29 athletes, 23 men and 6 women, represented Iran at the 2016 IPC Athletics Asia-Oceania Championships.

New Asian records set by Iranian athletes
Amini Nogourani, Mahnaz – Women’s Shot Put F57 (Result: 8.10m)
Motaghian Moavi, Hashemiyeh – Women’s Discus Throw F56 (Result: 20.83m)
Amiri, Hamed – Men’s Shot Put F54 (Result: 9.69m)
Arekhi, Nour Mohammad – Men’s Discus Throw F11 (Result: 35.16m)
Mokhtari Hemami, Alireza – Men’s Shot Put F53 (Result: 7.61m)

Medals won by Iranian athletes
Women
Amini Nogourani, Mahnaz – 1 gold medal: shot put F56/57
Kermani, Faezeh – 1 silver medal: javelin throw F34; 1 bronze medal: shot put F32-34
Motaghian Moavi, Hashemiyeh – 2 gold medals: javelin throw F55/56, discus throw F54-57
Sedghi Saghinsara, Marziyeh – 1 gold medal: shot put F52-55
Soltani, Maryam – 1 gold medal: javelin throw F34
Men
Abdolpour, Amin – 1 gold medal: 1500m T37/38/46
Aliasghar, Seyed – 1 gold medal: shot put F35/36
Alikhani Faradonbeh, Ahmadreza – 1 bronze medal: 200m T37
Alizadeh, Mehdi – 1 gold medal: shot put F32/33; 1 silver medal: javelin throw F33/34
Alvanpour, Mohammad – 1 gold medal: javelin throw F55/56
Amiri, Hamed – 3 gold medals: javelin throw F53/54, shot put F53/54, discus throw F54-56
Arekhi, Nour Mohammad – 2 gold medals: shot put F11/12, discus throw F11-13; 1 silver medal: javelin throw F11-13
Asghari, Mahdi – 1 gold medal: shot put F42/44
Beit Sayah, Sadegh – 1 silver medal: shot put F40/41
Doolabi, Ramezanali – 1 gold medal: shot put F46
Elahi, Ali (Guide: Marghashi, Javad) – 1 gold medal: 1500m T13
Eslami, Hamid (Guide: Salehimanesh, Hossein) – 1 silver medal: 5000m T11
Golpasandhagh, Parviz – 2 bronze medals: shot put F55/56, discus throw F54-56
Hashemzadeh Shadyari, Mahdi – 1 silver medal: discus throw F46; 1 bronze medal: shot put F46
Jokar, Abdolreza – 1 silver medal: javelin throw F53/54
Khosravi, Arash (Guide: Marghashi, Javad) – 2 gold: 100m T11, 200m T11; 1 silver: 400m T12
Lotfi, Arian – 1 silver medal: shot put F11/12; 1 bronze medal: discus throw F11-13
Mokhtari Hemami, Alireza – 1 gold medal: discus throw F51-53; 1 silver medal: shot put F53/54
Moradikoochi, Mahdi – 1 bronze medal: 100m T13
Ojaghlou, Ahmad – 3 gold medals: 100m T47, 200m T47, 400m T47

Sources: Wikipedia | IPC Athletics Asia-Oceania Championship 2016, paralympic.org, Press TV, parasport-news.com, Facebook | IPC Athletics, Instagram @saaiy_92, Instagram @dcduae, insidethegames.biz, paralympics.org | Medalists by event, paralympics.org | Records