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By Syma Sayyah, Tehran
Today is
Arbaeen, the 40th day after the death of Imam Hossein, the 3rd
Imam in Shia Islam who was martyred in Kabala. This Imam is highly regarded in
Iran and many people cook food in his
memory (Nazri) and give it to the poor, friends and family.
Many
people regard the Iranians as being so much more religious than they really are,
when in reality they are much more traditionalist and, some may say,
superstitious and eager to keep bad spirits away.
I
remember when I was a child, on one of the most holy days in the Islamic
calendar, my grandmother who was the eldest in her family would make an Ush-e Sholeghalamkar, (a special
nourishing vegetable soup) for the health and well being of all our big family
throughout the year.
All the
family came over in the evening and one or two truly huge pots rented for the
occasion were heated up on a massive stove made for the purpose, in the middle
of the yard. All the meat that been
washed and cut, all the many different types of beans that had been cleaned
washed and semi cooked, and so many special vegetables cleaned, washed, semi
dried, very finely cut, along with gallons of water and the necessary salt were
all put in to the pans and brought to the boil and then everybody would in turn
go and stir it with a huge paddle. The stirring went on for hours. The pans were
so huge one could fit into them!
We were told that if we made a
wish while we were stirring the ush
then it had a good chance of coming true.
As children we loved those nights when the elders were busy talking and
we were free to stay up very late and play. Mattresses would be spread in all the
rooms, halls and everybody would find a corner to sleep. I would not go to sleep and would stay
up until 3:30-4:00a.m, when they would turn down the fire and put a lid on the
ush and then we would light our
candles on the lid of the pan after making our wishes. I still remember those nights with great
nostalgia.
Early the next morning, the grown
ups would put the ush in all possible
containers brought by guests, or anything that could be found in the house, to
be given to friends and neighbors.
Those who had not come, or had come and gone, would come back to the
house to collect their share of the ush. The tradition of making the ush was passed on to my grandmother from
her parents. When she passed away
15 years ago, my mom took over the responsibility. By then life had become more pragmatic,
so the ush was made on the nearest
Thursday (as Friday is a holiday in Iran) to make things
easier.
Soon my
mom realized that she could not manage to organize such a big feast every year,
because it was customary to feed all the guests for dinner, and also for
breakfast, and besides the cost it was simply too much hard work to do and my
sisters and I were all busy with our own lives and work and could not give her
enough help, so it became a small occasion just for close family.
My mom's
first cousin, Zari Khanoum, took over the family tradition when my mom became
ill and after her passing away.
This morning we went to her to pick up our share of the ush and some other Nazri cooking (Khoroushte Fesenjoon and Ghormehsabzi)
from her house.
My aunt Pari does a similar
tradition which has been passed to her from her husband's family, and holds a
lunch every year where a huge amount of rice and ghaymeh is cooked and distributed to family, friends and the
poor. Later this morning we
went there to pick up our share of the ghaymeh and sholezard. So we are ok for food for a few days and,
not only that, all the food feels sort of blessed because so many good vibes has
been put in it when it was cooked.
Jaye shoma khali (we missed you) - it tasted
great
... Payvand News - 3/10/07 ... --
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