APA presents Muhammad Rahmanifar's article on Nowruz holiday customs within the framework of the "Know South Azerbaijan" project.

We have already left Novruz holiday behind.

Nowruz holiday, celebrated by our people with great enthusiasm for thousands of years, also means the preservation of our ancient traditions and their transmission to the next generations.

But I wonder how Novruz holiday and Novruz customs are preserved in South Azerbaijan, are our compatriots from the south able to pass on the customs of thousands of years to future generations?

And what obstacles do they face on the way?

First post - XOY

Second post - Urmiya

Undoubtedly, in addition to common language and history, cultural elements such as holidays and related traditions play an important role in the unity of a nation.

Today, Novruz holiday is celebrated among different peoples and in different countries, but this historical tradition is not celebrated in the same way.

In other words, while Novruz holiday is considered a universal heritage, the quality and manner of celebrating the holiday differs among different nations, and each of these nations celebrates the holiday with its own traditions.

Like every social, historical and cultural event in Iran, the holiday has also become political.

On the one hand, the Iranian government and extreme Persian nationalists are trying to use this cultural and historical opportunity to promote Persianism and cultural assimilation.

On the other hand, activists and intellectuals of South Azerbaijan are trying to encourage the nation of South Azerbaijan to preserve its customs and traditions.

Of course, as in other fields, it is appropriate to say that facing the Iranian government's cultural attack in this field has taken the form of an unequal war.

So, on the one hand, it owns all the mass media, as well as the education system of the country from kindergartens to universities, and like every other issue, it tries to promote Nowruz holiday as a symbol of Iranianism outwardly, but as a symbol of Persianism in practice.

Even the powerful media and televisions of the opponents of the regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran operating outside of Iran are completely on the side of the regime in this unequal battle.

Basically, the opponents of the regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran want to overthrow this regime and seize the central power, but they are just as racist and Persian as the current rulers of Iran, even more than them.

As we mentioned, on the other side of this unequal battle, there are intellectuals, cultural, social and political activists of South Azerbaijan, who are trying to neutralize the poisonous propaganda of the Persians on the one hand, and on the other hand, to encourage the Turks of South Azerbaijan to preserve these components by promoting the cultural components of Azerbaijan.

However, the opportunities of the southern activists are very weak and incomparable compared to the media and educational institutions of the Farsi-oriented system.

In short, the activists from South Azerbaijan do not have one percent of the opportunities available to the other parties.

For example, while on the other side dozens of television channels promote Persianism day and night, although they broadcast various special programs on Novruz holiday, there is not even a television channel that can compete with those powerful televisions in terms of quality and quantity.

By this simple comparison, however, the outcome of this unequal war is clear, at least in the long run;

but at least until today, the efforts of the cultural, social and political activists of South Azerbaijan have been effective, and we are witnessing the revival of some forgotten traditions.

Perhaps in order to better understand this clash of Turkish and Persian culture in Southern Azerbaijan, let us first look at some festive customs and traditions of the Southern Azerbaijani Turks, which are still preserved to a certain extent, and then note the influence of Persian cultural elements in these ceremonies.

Holiday customs in South Azerbaijan

Holiday customs in South Azerbaijan begin with the end of Kichic Chilla, that is, one month before the holiday.

Chilla night, forgotten in Northern Azerbaijan, is considered the longest night of the year.

On Chilla night, families get together and spend the longest and coldest night of the year, eating some special food, fruits, nuts, talking with each other, in a warm family atmosphere.

There are two chillas in South Azerbaijan.

The Great Chilla begins on the first night of winter and lasts for 40 days.

The Small Chilla starts from the day of the end of the Big Chilla and lasts for 20 days.

That is, one month before Eid, chills end and the month of Eid begins.

Today, based on the Persian calendar, the last month of winter is called Esfand month, but most of the southern Azerbaijanis still call this month the month of Bayram.

Preparations for the holiday begin with the beginning of the holiday month.

All houses are cleaned with care and taste.

Carpets and rugs are washed or cleaned.

The roof and walls are being removed.

New clothes are bought for children and even adults, called holiday clothes.

Holidays are bought or prepared for relatives and acquaintances.

Wheat or lentil skies, which are signs of spring, are green in the houses.

In North Azerbaijan, these heavens are called malt, but in South Azerbaijan, malt is called a very delicious sweet made from wheat greens.

Cooking samani is also considered one of the holiday fashions.

At the same time as these things done to welcome the arrival of summer, the last four Wednesdays of the year, each of which has its own tradition, were celebrated as Wednesdays of water, fire, wind and earth.

Today, only the last Wednesday of the year is celebrated in most regions of South Azerbaijan.

However, when we pay attention to the ceremonies and traditions of this evening, which is known as the last Wednesday of the year, we understand that, in fact, the traditions and ceremonies of all four Wednesdays are concentrated there.

For example, burning a bonfire and jumping over it, going to a spring in the villages and washing your hands with running water and bringing spring water to the house, even making a wish at the edge of the running water, making a wish with the water of the water, carrying a bowl of water to the neighbor's house early in the morning, and sometimes even getting wet. , to take a holiday share called Wednesday to single girls by the groom and to married girls by their parents and brothers, children used to hang shawls from the roofs in the olden days, and now they knock on doors and leave shawls without being seen, then turn around and take away the Wednesday that the owner of the house put in the shawl, and other such games. and so on.

These are only a part of the customs and rituals experienced on the eve of the holiday and on the last Wednesday of the year.

Some of these customs and ceremonies are reflected in the poems of South Azerbaijani poets, and especially in the immortal work of master Seyyed Mahammadhuseyn Shahriyar called "Greetings to Heydarbaba".

For example, Ustad Shahriyar says about the custom of hanging a shawl:

"The night bird was singing on the holiday

The girl from Adakhli was knitting socks

Everyone was smoking a shawl through a chimney

What a wonderful way to hang a shawl

Tying a holiday to the groom's shawl"

Nowadays, many young Azerbaijanis have learned Azerbaijani dances and perform beautiful Azerbaijani dances on the last Wednesday night of the year or on national holidays such as Nowruz.

Although these scenes are pleasing to the people of Azerbaijan, in most cases they are blocked by state officials.

Instead, with the spread of incendiary substances and explosives in the last twenty years, the cities of Azerbaijan, like the cities of other regions of Iran, are becoming the scenes of terrible and scary battles.

Heralds of summer

Among the customs that have been forgotten in South Azerbaijan in recent decades is the disappearance of the counters, who are considered the harbingers of spring.

Counters used to travel from village to village in Southern Azerbaijan before the holiday, cheer people up with interesting poems they read, give them the good news of the arrival of spring, and buy holiday gifts from the people.

They still have an unforgettable place in the folk literature of South Azerbaijan.

It is good to have a look at some verses of the poems recited by the enumerators:

"Counter Mammad came

No, that blessing has come...

This is a good number

Count everyone

Both spring and summer

Both to the country and to the month

Both poor and rich

Good luck…”

Fortunately, one of the customs that has not completely disappeared yet is tekamchili and tekamlik fashion, which is another harbinger of spring.

In recent years, many efforts have been made by the cultural activists of South Azerbaijan to preserve these cultural symbols.

Tekem is actually a male goat with red and yellow fur that climbs to the top of the peaks and sees the sunrise after a cold and deadly winter.

He visited cities and villages one after the other, evangelizing the arrival of spring to everyone and receiving good news.

There are still old people living in some cities of Azerbaijan who performed this ritual in cities and villages of Azerbaijan.

They moved a round board with a snake in the middle of it and recited poems about the arrival of spring:

"This buck has a trick

He has a leg dam

If he plays at every door

There is a saucer of sugar"

The gamblers

On the holiday, festive tables were opened in every house, national dishes were laid out on the table, including dolmas, dyed eggs, blue skies, cooked malt, sweets, nuts, fruits, mirrors, and candles.

The holiday table was not opened in the homes of mourners, and those who came to offer condolences were only treated to dates and tea.

The holiday of mourning houses was called Kara Bayram, and instead of mourning, colorful clothes called yaslama or yastakharma were brought to the mourning houses, and the mourners were asked to wear these clothes and come out of mourning.

They went to the meeting of the elder fathers and white-haired mothers, and all the grievances were reconciled.

Elderly fathers and fair-haired mothers would understand the epics in our folk literature as the book memories of our Azerbaijan, and everyone would listen to them with pleasure.

There is a saying that "holiday belongs to children".

Children would dress up in festive clothes and have fun together at parties.

Today, many of the games that belong to the holiday are being forgotten.

These lively and cheerful games have been replaced by computer games and mobile phones.

(Demolition of the Tekemchi monument in Tabriz)

The steps taken by the Iranian regime to distort the holiday ceremony

All the fashions I mentioned above have not disappeared at the moment.

Still in many places these fashions are more or less alive.

However, as I have said before, the Persian regime of Iran wants to change the mood and essence of the holiday of Azerbaijanis, to dress it in a completely Persian style.

Thus, they strive to spread Persianism among the Turks of South Azerbaijan.

Although there is no Kosa and Kechel tradition in South Azerbaijan, it is mostly replaced by counters and tekams.

However, as I said, the counters that existed 30-40 years ago do not exist today.

Despite the preservation of the existence of Tekemists, as I mentioned in the article, the Persian mentality tries to forget the customs of South Azerbaijan Turks and propagate the customs of Persians through television and mass media, as well as kindergartens and schools.

For example, instead of enumerators and takamists, they try to spread elements of Persian culture, such as Haji Firuz and Ami Nowruz, which have nothing to do with the culture of South Azerbaijani Turks.

However, whether they are Kosa and Kechel elements, or counters and counters, they are considered attributes based on the living philosophy of Azerbaijani Turks.

(Haji Firuz monument erected by the state in Ardabil)

The element Haji Firuz, who flatters everyone with his poems for five kopecks, on the eve of the holiday, the children of the Turks of South Azerbaijan are displayed in kindergartens and his figures are placed in all cities, instead, the monuments of the Tekemists in the city of Tabriz are demolished!

(Haji Firuz element, which does not belong to South Azerbaijani culture, is promoted by the government, although it is alien to people)

At the same time, instead of the holiday table that we learned from our grandparents, they make the table tradition called "Haftsin table" fashionable.

With this, they remove the blessings from the holiday tables and replace them with elements of Persian culture.

Thus, they try to introduce Persian holiday traditions to Turks and make them forget Turkishness and Azerbaijaniness.

In addition to all these measures, day and night television and mass media claim that the Nowruz philosophy belongs to the Persian nation, the mythology and history of the Persians, and of course, these huge advertisements have influenced the minds and thoughts of some southern Azerbaijanis and attracted them to the Persian culture. and finally causes them to become Persian.

As we have seen, although Nowruz is a cultural event, indicating brotherhood and mutual love, it has acquired a full political essence in Iran today and has opened the way for serious conflicts.

A large part of South Azerbaijani Turks, especially intellectuals, cultural, social and political activists, try to preserve their cultural elements in Nowruz holiday ceremonies.