Nowrooz, a Persian New Year Celebration, Erupts in Iran

For days, state-run television in Iran declared that, for their own safety, citizens should stay home and keep children indoors on the evening of March 16. And indeed, the streets of Iran did erupt into flames. But the opposition to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad did not organize it. Tuesday evening was the beginning of Nowrooz, the two-week-long traditional Iranian New Year celebration, which for more than three millenniums marked the beginning of spring in the Persian world. The popular holiday, celebrated with bonfires and, more recently, illegal fireworks, is so hoary it predates the three Abrahamic religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam - a fact that the mullahs who rule Iran are quite sensitive about. One ayatullah, Nasser Makarem Shirazi, called the first day of Nowrooz a "superstitious act and baseless. Pious and sensible Muslims will stay away from it."

From the time the sun set Tuesday evening, Tehran was filled with the sounds of small explosions and the smell of smoke. Police and Basij militia presence throughout the city was as high as it has been at any point since last year's controversial presidential election, but for the most part, the law-enforcement officers remained cool, with some officers even joining crowds around bonfires and chatting with the attendees. Some small scuffles broke out when Basij arrived to break up impromptu block parties. (See pictures of Iran's antigovernment demonstrations.)

The explosions continued well past midnight, although the state did what it could to keep Iranians from attending the festivities, including airing Hollywood blockbusters such as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull on television. None of those tactics worked; the streets were filled with people who for one night seemed to ignore the recent proscriptions of the ruling religious establishment. Said an attendee who asked to remain anonymous: "This isn't something that the government can take away from us. We've been doing this for 3,000 years. They should just accept it." ]

The holiday is so sensitive that the opposition doesn't want to be anywhere near accusations that it is fomenting unrest during its celebration. The so-called Green Movement leadership actually asked its followers not to target the day for protest, as has been done with Muslim holy days and the anniversaries of important dates in the Islamic revolution led by the late Ayatullah Khomeini. The blowback would be worse for opposition leaders like Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi if they were seen as promoting demonstrations during a festival from the days before Iran converted to Islam. No one wants to be called un-Islamic. (See how Iran's opposition is searching for a new strategy.)

Yet the first day of Nowrooz has always been irresistible to Iranians, because it is tied not to Muslim piety but to Persian pride. Its roots are in Zoroastrianism, the world's first monotheistic religion - the country's national faith before Islam - one in which fire is revered as a symbol of purity. Apart from the theocracy, most Iranians in and outside the country, irrespective of their religion, celebrate the ancient rites. The Tuesday-night event itself is known as Chaharshanbe Suri (literally "Wednesday Party," because dusk brings the new day in Iran) and was originally intended as a ritual to ward off evil spirits and negative energy collected in the previous year. That purification is done by leaping over a series of small bonfires.

In recent times, however, the ritual has evolved into an opportunity for people to set off illegal fireworks, some of extremely dubious quality and reliability, creating what many residents of Tehran liken to a war zone. Some older residents even compare the night and the anxiety it brings to the eight-year-long war with Iraq when Saddam Hussein's air force intermittently and indiscriminately bombed Tehran. Says a Tehran taxi driver in his 60s: "People used to enjoy themselves on this day. This is supposed to be a family tradition, but it's not safe for women and children out here. This is a very dangerous night." (See the top 10 Ahmadinejad-isms.)

Concerns have arisen about public buildings, including government-controlled banks, being targeted for arson. Sporadic explosions began on Monday night. "This is nothing," said Setareh, a 25-year-old graduate student in English studies, the night before the festival. Tuesday, she predicted, "will feel like you're in Gaza." Police in Tehran have attributed several deaths over the past few days to faulty fireworks.

In the past 31 years, the rulers of the Islamic Republic of Iran have attempted to diminish the public's attachment to these holidays. Last week, the Friday-prayers leader in the seminary city of Qom, Ayatullah Reza Ostadi, said Chaharshanbe Suri "is no different from other days, and, given that the outsiders of the establishment have heavily invested in this day, we must turn our backs on it." Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei echoed those sentiments, issuing a statement on his website Sunday in which, in reference to the celebration, he wrote that it has "no basis in shari'a [Islamic law] and creates a lot of harm and corruption, [which is why] it is appropriate to avoid it."

Police and Basij erected roadblocks and conducted car searches in much of the capital over the weekend. Last week, Tehran Governor Morteza Tamadon announced that 500 individuals involved in the illicit trade of fireworks had been arrested. "Tradition showcases the beauties of a culture," said Tamadon, adding that "the fire ritual offers nothing but ugliness, fear and worry ... With decisive action, we will try to wipe the problem called Chaharshanbe Suri from the mind of society within the next two years." That is unlikely to happen.

See pictures of terrorism in Tehran.

See the top 10 players in Iran's power struggle.

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20 Comments

  • 10 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 3 users disliked this comment
    RUIZ Tue Mar 16, 2010 05:27 pm PDT Report Abuse
    1st to say who cares~ Sounds like a dictator telling his people they can't celebrate a holiday that was from a long time ago.
  • 19 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 8 users disliked this comment
    __A_YAHOO_USER__ Tue Mar 16, 2010 06:12 pm PDT Report Abuse
    non-muslims need to remember what it was like under fascist nazi germany,,,

    cuz fascist nazi terrorislam will be worse,,,

    the UN should charge muslims with inciting hatred and discrimination against non-muslims,,, and crimes against humanity,,,

    ummmm when will islam ban slavery??? when will islam pay reparations for 1400 years of slavery and stealling non-muslim land???

    non-muslims need to demand reparations through the UN from the muslim slavers,,,

    STOP TERRORISLAMIC APARTHEID NOW,,,
  • 9 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 0 users disliked this comment
    Devin Tue Mar 16, 2010 06:54 pm PDT Report Abuse
    I wonder now how will President Mutt Arunt will blame the West for this???? lol lol lol
  • 15 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 0 users disliked this comment
    davood Tue Mar 16, 2010 07:04 pm PDT Report Abuse
    last night was n t begining of nowrooz, it was "Chahar shanbe soori" that is the last tuesday night of the year. begining of nowrooz is 20th march, and is first day of "Bahar" (spring).
  • 11 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 3 users disliked this comment
    __A_YAHOO_USER__ Tue Mar 16, 2010 07:09 pm PDT Report Abuse
    (((As for those who feel hatred for Islam like "Wronga" I tell them either you swear or not Islam will keep spreading all over the world because smart people read before judging.)))

    have you lived as a non-muslims in a muslim majority country???

    didn't think so,,,

    non-muslims will not tolerate terrorislamic apartheid,,,

    GOT IT,,,
  • 14 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 2 users disliked this comment
    __A_YAHOO_USER__ Tue Mar 16, 2010 07:11 pm PDT Report Abuse
    terrorislam wants peace,,, a piece of your country that is,,,

    and another piece,,, and another piece,,, and another piece,,,
    until they have the world,,,

    they are always going into some country and then saying they want another terrorislamic state,,,

    stop them now before it is too late,,,

    AND YOU KNOW THAT'S RIGHT,,,
  • 17 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 2 users disliked this comment
    john c Tue Mar 16, 2010 07:39 pm PDT Report Abuse
    islam is satans biggest cult
  • 10 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 1 users disliked this comment
    __A_YAHOO_USER__ Tue Mar 16, 2010 07:56 pm PDT Report Abuse
    when will islam ban SLAVERY???

    when will moderate muslims demand islam to ban SLAVERY???

    when will islam grant equal rights to non-muslims???

    when will islam enforce equal rights to non-muslims???

    when will islam adopt the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948

    when,,, when,,, WHEN,,,
  • 1 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 12 users disliked this comment
    __A_YAHOO_USER__ Tue Mar 16, 2010 07:59 pm PDT Report Abuse
    The Third World can only remain colonies if their attention and energy is channeled towards fighting each other. This is why the French, the British, the US and the Fourth Reich Zionist Entity are the first suspect in every terror attack.

    A short History of their criminal record:

    1950’S
    The British SAS Battalion was composed only of military personal that tan easily and thus pass as Arabian Muslims. THEY KILLED AND HATCHED TO DEATH THOUSANDS TO JUSTIFY BRITISH PRESENCE (COLONIAL PRESENCE)

    1970’S
    The Phoenix project in Vietnam consisted of covert CIA terror attacks targeting civilians of towns and villages suspected of supporting communism. The US and the puppet government would then blame the communists for this terrorism to “WIN HEARTS AND MINDS”.

    1980’S
    JOHN NEGROPONTE AND COLONE STEELE organized a CIA terror Operations against the innocent people of El Salvador. Since El Salvador was Catholic, they decided to call the attacks on a shadow organization they called Battalion 316. The name was used to demoralized the people of Central America and justify US presents (Imperial objectives)

    1990’S
    THE FRENCH FOREIGN LEGION KILLED 100,000 INNOCENT CIVILIANS IN ALGERIA. In every Massacre, the puppet government officials would blame the attacks on the Islamic party that had won 80% of the votes in the 1991 election. As in Joss, Nigeria the government forces would arrive on the scene late enough to give the French terrorist time to escape. The French Foreign Legions also used the British tactic of dressing like Muslim Arabs before attacking.

    2000’S
    The Iraqi resistance was humiliating the US. Bush called for the “Salvador Option” (New York Times, 2004). Brimmer and General John Abizaid refused to become terrorists and thus were pushed to the side. Bush made John Negroponte US ambassador to Iraq and he brought Colonel Steele out of retirement for one last Butcher Fest. In his first week, John said he has evidence that Al Qaeda was now in Iraq. With the fake AQI as his cover and Blackwater on his payroll, Negroponte and Steele KILLED OVER 600,000 INNOCENT PEOPLE TO DEMORALIZE IRAQ’S AND BLAMED IT ON ISLAM.

    2010’S
    BLACKWATER IN PAKISTAN
    The FRENCH FOREIGN LEGION IN CHAD AND DARFUR
    ISREAL’S KASHAFA BRAGADE (ETHIOPIAN JEWS) IN NIGERIA
    US FUNDING TERRORIST IN SISTAN, IRAN
    Comment hidden due to low rating. Show Comment
  • 2 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 0 users disliked this comment
    Forgive them Father, they ... Tue Mar 16, 2010 09:52 pm PDT Report Abuse
    Perhaps if 10 Arab Muslims didn't crash our planes, there wouldn't be such a problem. But this was the second attempt on the World Trade Center, the USS Cole, our US Embassy's and on and on. Shall we just let them keep exploding themselves on US soil in the name of Allah, killing innocent lives. God never, never said to kill innocent people, He said Thou Shalt Not Murder". Murder is the specialty of those who call themselves Muslims and murder in the name of Allah.

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