The days and nights of the blessed month of Ramadan vary in Persia, which is characterized by national and cultural diversity, and each region has special Ramadan traditions and rituals that have been classified among the list of intangible heritage in Iran, due to its importance to the Iranian people.
The blessed Ramadan has always been known in Iran as “the month of obedience and God’s hospitality, not like it, and the spring of the Qur’an.” Iranians anticipate the sighting of the crescent of the month by cleaning homes and mosques on the last Friday of the month of Sha’ban, believing that it is the first step to removing the effects of sins from their hearts and purifying them to receive the holy month, as well as preparing And prepare what they need throughout the month of food.
As in previous years, Iranian government spokesman Ali Bahadri Jahromi announced on the eve of the month of Ramadan that the working hours in government departments and institutions would be reduced by one hour from the end of working hours on normal days, in appreciation of the situation of fasting people.
Iranians prefer a light meal when the Maghrib call to prayer is raised, consisting of a cup of tea or hot milk, bread, dates, cheese, almonds and fresh vegetables, along with ash soup or harissa, provided that they eat a hearty dinner about an hour after the evening prayer.
knight throwing stones
Ramadan rituals and traditions differ from one city to another in the mosaic of Iranian sects and nationalities, such as Persians, Arabs, Turks, Turkmen, Kurds, Baluchis and Lors.
Fasting women contribute to preparing the breakfast table in mosques and holy shrines in Iran (communication sites)
In the city of Shiraz (the center of Fars province), residents greet the blessed Ramadan by throwing stones, and ask the Creator for forgiveness and success in fasting Ramadan by saying, "Our Lord, forgive us our sins, and here we have left our bad deeds like these stones that we threw on the ground."
And before sunset on the last Friday of Sha’ban, people go out of their homes to nature, carrying pieces of dry mud with them, and they throw them on the ground to vanish;
Believing that performing these rituals will erase their sins and misdeeds.
The Arabs and Qerqi'an
In the city of Ahvas (southwest of the country), you may not find much difference in Ramadan traditions with Arab countries, especially the Iraqi and Gulf culture.
The nights of the blessed Ramadan become very full in the city of Ahvas (the center of Khuzestan province) and other provinces inhabited by Arab nationalism, including Bushehr, Hormozgan and the islands of Kish and Qeshm.
A scene from the Gergean celebrations in Ahvas (communication sites)
One of the most important Ramadan traditions in the Arab regions of Iran is the celebration of the middle of the blessed month, as children gather after breakfast and take a tour of the alleys houses near their homes, and bring with them bags to collect gifts and sweets from the homes, chanting popular songs such as “Qerqi’an and Qerqi’an, may God give you two babies” and “O people of the rooftops, give us if we go.”
In 2017, the Iranian Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization classified the Gergean traditions on the list of the intangible heritage of the Arabs in Iran.
Baloch and Masharati
Not far from the southern regions, the Baluch inhabit the northern bank of the waters of the Sea of Oman in the province of Sistan and Baluchistan, bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The Baluchi areas are famous for the activity of Al-Masharati throughout the holy month, as an elderly person passes through the streets and alleys, chanting rhyming phrases and poetic verses in harmony to wake people up for Suhoor.
Another custom that the Baluch seeks to preserve as much as possible is the tradition of “Ark and Barak” (meaning giving and giving), where families serve part of the iftar meal to the neighbors and everyone who smells the food prepared by the family, and thus the people of the villages share their food at Iftar.
Turkmen and namaz lig
In Golestan Province (northeast of Iran), the Turkmen climb hills and high roofs in order to investigate the crescent of the blessed month, believing that the person who sees its crescent before others receives a great reward.
And whoever is lucky and begins the month of fasting, he hastens to read honorable verses from Surat Al-Baqarah, and announces loudly, with joy and happiness, that he has seen the crescent of Ramadan.
Turkmen are keen to hold congregational prayers in the blessed Ramadan (communication sites)
Turkmen women sew small prayer rugs known as "Penmaz-Liq", and then they are given to mosques in the neighborhood with the advent of Ramadan.
Another Turkmen tradition in Ramadan is the "ceremonies of reconciliation", where the well-known Mukhtar "Bayash Oli" invites people who are quarreling in their homes, to resolve disputes and put them aside in preparation for entering the month of obedience.
calendula and blessing bags
Among the traditions and customs of Ramadan among the Turks and the Azeris in Iran is the sewing of blessing bags in the last days of Ramadan;
On the 27th of the blessed month, fasting women carry a quantity of cloth, thread and needle with them to the mosque.
After performing the noon prayer, they begin to sew a bag or bags before performing the afternoon prayer.
The people of the provinces inhabited by the Azeris - such as East Azerbaijan and Hamedan - believe that whoever enters a sum of money in these bags will multiply God Almighty for him and bless his money.
And some regions in Iran have been sewing blessing bags on the last Friday of Ramadan, and then an amount is placed in them to be preserved until next year, in the belief that it will bring blessings to the house until Ramadan next year.
Some Iranian regions are still famous for Al-Masharati activity throughout the holy month (communication sites)
The Kurds and Tarawih prayers
Like other Sunni regions in Iran, the Sunnis and the community of Kurds spread in the provinces of East Azerbaijan, Kurdistan and Kermanshah are keen to hold Tarawih prayers with the advent of the blessed month in mosques.
Tarawih prayers are usually 20 units of prayer or 8 units of prayer in some areas, and those who are fasting pray Qiyaam al-Layl in the last ten days of Ramadan.
No matter how varied the customs and traditions of the Iranian nationalities in the blessed Ramadan, they are united in the revival of the Night of Power, as the fasting people spend it with prayer, supplication and repentance.
In addition, the Iranian street is demonstrating in support of Al-Quds Al-Sharif on the last Friday of the blessed Ramadan, which Khomeini, the founder of the Iranian revolution, called "the International Quds Day".