Iranians mark Nature's Day as Norooz holidays end
Source: Press TV
People across Iran are celebrating Sizdah Bedar, the ancient festival of nature, on the last day of Norooz holidays, with many leaving their houses and spending time outdoors in the fresh spring air before getting back to work and their regular routine after the holidays.
Sizdeh Bedar in Oroumieh in northwestern Iran
(photo by ISNA)
Sizdah Bedar, also called Nature's Day, marks the 13th day of Farvardin, the
first month of the Iranian calendar, and the final day of the two-week Persian
New Year holidays, which began on March 21.
On this day, which has fallen on April 2 this year, it is customary for Iranians
to head out to parks or countryside on picnics.
According to popular belief, the 13th day of the month is a time when bad luck
and unfortunate events could happen.
Sizdeh Bedar in the capital city Tehran
(photos by ISNA)
Among the traditions of Sidzah Bedar, which literally means 13 outdoors, is
throwing Sabzeh -- a patch of grown sprouts kept as an item on the Haft-Seen
table during Norooz holidays -- into a stream, river or where water flows.
Haft-Seen table is a tabletop arrangement of seven items alliteratively
beginning with the letter "Seen" in the Persian Alphabet, which sounds similar
to "S."
It is a traditional belief that the sprouts on the Haft-Seen collect all the
negative things in the household, and throwing them away on Sizdah Bedar
represents getting rid of the negativity and evil.
Another tradition is for single people, especially young girls, to tie the
leaves of the greenery before discarding it, expressing a wish to get married in
the year ahead.
Sizdah Bedar is also known as Nature's Day in Iran.
Since ancient times, Iranians have been fond of nature and its beauties. In recent years, however, there has been an extra emphasis on making efforts to preserve nature on this day by planting trees and cleaning up the waste disposed of irresponsibly in the natural environment.
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