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Yalda Equinox

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Ancient Winnter Festival of Light still celebrated in Caucasus and Iran.

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NEWS

IRAN - Wednesday December 17, 2008

# 'Yalda Night' in List of National Treasures

Yalda Night festival will be officially added to Iran's List of National Treasures in a special ceremony to be held on December 20.
The ceremony will be attended by the Vice President in charge of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHTO), Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei, and several other cultural figures on Saturday.
Yalda eve, 21st of December, is considered the longest night of the year when ancient Iranians celebrated the birth of Mithra, the goddess of light.
However, it is now considered a time when family members get together at the home of the elders until after midnight. They are served with dried fruits, nuts, and winter fruits like pomegranates and watermelons, which are said to symbolize the red color of dawn in the sky.
During the long night, they also practice bibliomancy with the poetry of the highly respected mystic Iranian poet, Hafez.

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Iran - Tuesday December 21, 2010

# Yalda Night, inherited winter feast

By Fatemeh Gholipour

In the east, life styles are more often in tune with nature. Therefore, much inspiration accompanies the natural rhythms of day and night, month to month and from season to season in this part of God's domain. This integration of nature into the human life cycle is remarkable in Iran.

Shab-e-Yalda, (Yalda night, in Persian) a traditional Iranian celebration of the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, has remained popular since ancient times. This traditional Persian winter Solstice celebration is commemorated on or around December 20 or 21 each year.

According to Iranian mythology, from Yalda night forward, light triumphs over darkness as days grow longer. This celebration, based on the Iranian calendar, comes in the Persian month of Day, the pre-Zoroastrian creator god (Deity). Later he became known as the god of creation and light. It should be noted that the English word “day,” is derived from this word and its symbolism of 'Good'.

Yalda has a root in Zoroastrian belief, to be exact, Mithraism religion. The Mithraists believed that Mithra, the Persian god of light and truth, was born to a virgin mother in the morning of the longest night of the year. In other words, Mithra was born on Yalda.

It was said that Mithra was born out of the light that came from within the Alborz Mountains, symbolizing the Sun god overcoming the powers of darkness. Having this belief, ancient Iranians gathered in caves throughout the night to witness this miracle together at dawn. They were known as 'Yar-e Ghar' (Cave Mates). Therefore the ceremony is traced to the primal concept of light and good against darkness and evil in the ancient Iranian religion.

Shab-e Yalda, the longest and darkest night of the year, symbolizes many things in Persian poetry, such as the separation between loved ones, loneliness and waiting. Many believe waiting would be over after this night as the light would shine and goodness would prevail.

Previously, Iranians, like other people around the world, were more loyal to their traditions and ancient customs. In the evening of Yalda, they lighted bonfires outside, and invited each other to their houses, where they gathered around the Korsee, a traditional warmer table covered with a thick cloth.

Nowadays, Yalda has become a social occasion when friends and family gather to eat, drink and read poetry (especially Hafiz) until after midnight. Fruits, particularly pomegranates and watermelons, and nuts are served in this night. The fruits signify the hope for having a fruitful spring and summer. The red-colored fruits symbolize the crimson hues of dawn and glow of life, invoking the glory of Mithra. Pomegranates with angelica powder are believed to protect individuals against the Devil.

According to ancient tradition, the oldest member of some families thanks God for the previous year's bumper crops on this night, asking him for prosperity in the next year. Then with a knife, he cuts the melon/watermelon and gives everyone a share. The cutting symbolizes the removal of sickness and pain from the family.

The 13th century Persian poet, Saadi, wrote in his Bustan (collection of poems), "The true morning will not come, until the Yalda Night is gone."

Yalda Night was officially added to Iran's List of National Treasures during a special ceremony in 2008.

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# Yalda

Yalda, Yalda Night (Shab-e Yaldâ), or Shab-e Chelleh, is the Persian Winter Solstice Celebration which has been popular since ancient times. Yalda is celebrated on the Northern Hemisphere's longest night of the year, that is, on the eve of the Winter Solstice. Depending on the shift of the calendar, Yalda is celebrated on or around December 20 or 21 each year.Yalda has a history as long as the Mithraism religion. The Mithraists believed that this night is the night of the birth of Mithra, Persian god of light and truth. At the morning of the longest night of the year the Mithra was born. [wiki]

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# Details from NASA

2010

Solstice Lunar Eclipse

Everyone knows that "the moon on the breast of new-fallen snow gives the luster of mid-day to objects below."
That is, except during a lunar eclipse. The luster will be a bit "off" on Dec. 21st, the first day of northern winter, when the full Moon passes almost dead-center through Earth's shadow. For 72 minutes of eerie totality, an amber light will play across the snows of North America, throwing landscapes into an unusual state of ruddy shadow. The eclipse begins on Tuesday morning, Dec. 21st, at 1:33 am EST (Monday, Dec. 20th, at 10:33 pm PST). At that time, Earth's shadow will appear as a dark-red bite at the edge of the lunar disk. It takes about an hour for the "bite" to expand and swallow the entire Moon. Totality commences at 02:41 am EST (11:41 pm PST) and lasts for 72 minutes. If you're planning to dash out for only one quick look -­ it is December, after all -­ choose this moment: 03:17 am EST (17 minutes past midnight PST). That's when the Moon will be in deepest shadow, displaying the most fantastic shades of coppery red.

2001

Winter Stolstice happens at 11:21 am on 21st Dec 2001 (PST)
Longest night of the year
15 hrs and 54 minutes from Sunset of 21st
Dec to Sunrise of 22nd Dec 2001 (PST))

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Original Celebration of Christmas has been due to
birthday of Mithra/Mehr (21st Dec) celebrated in Rome
and other parts of Europe by Mithraists.
Coincidence with Jewish Hanukkah (Festival of Lights) is not just an accident.
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Happy Yalda, Yuletide, Mithrakana
Birth of Mehr/Mithra/Jesus Christ

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guardian.co.uk, Monday 20 December 2010 16.43 GMT

# Lunar eclipse and winter solstice to coincide for first time in 372 years

Tomorrow's lunar eclipse over Britain will fall on the shortest day of the year – the winter solstice – for the first time since 1638

The skies over Britain will turn a dark shade of red tomorrow morning as the moon moves into the Earth's shadow in a rare lunar eclipse. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, Earth and moon are almost exactly in line, with the moon and sun on opposite sides of our home planet. The alignment will cause the full moon to appear much dimmer than usual, but sunlight passing through the Earth's atmosphere will give the lunar surface a deep reddish hue at dawn. The eclipse is due to begin at 5.28am, as the moon enters the lightest part of Earth's shadow, known as the penumbra. In this early phase of the eclipse, the moon will appear yellowish in the pre-dawn sky. A more significant dimming begins as the moon enters into the darker part of Earth's shadow at 6.32am and becomes completely eclipsed at 7.40am. Unlike an eclipse of the sun, star gazers do not need protective eye equipment to observe a lunar eclipse. For the first time in nearly 400 years the lunar eclipse coincides with the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. In addition, both sun and eclipsed moon will briefly be visible above the horizon – cloud cover permitting – in an unusual event called a selenehelion. In London, the moon will be only three degrees above the northwestern horizon and may be obscured by buildings. It will appear higher in the sky in Northern Ireland and the Western Isles of Scotland. During the eclipse, the moon will be in line with the constellation of Taurus, though these stars will be hard to see in the dawn sky and will be invisible after sunrise.

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# Shab-e Chelleh

Derived from a pre-Zoroastrian festival, Shab-e Chelleh is celebrated on the eve of the first day of winter in the Persian calendar, which always falls on the solstice. Yalda is the most important non-new-year Iranian festival in modern-day Iran and it has been long celebrated in Iran by all ethnic/religious groups. According to Iranian mythology, Mithra was born at the end of this night after the long-expected defeat of darkness against light. "Shab-e Chelleh" is now an important social occasion, when family and friends get together for fun and merriment. Usually families gather at their elders' homes. Different kinds of dried fruits, nuts, seeds and fresh winter fruits are consumed. The presence of dried and fresh fruits is reminiscence of the ancient feasts to celebrate and pray to the deities to ensure the protection of the winter crops. Watermelons, persimmons and pomegranates are traditional symbols of this celebration, all representing the sun. It used to be customary to stay awake Yalda night until sunrise eating, drinking, listening to stories and poems, but this is no longer very common as most people have things to do on the next day. During the early Roman Empire many Syrian Christians fled from persecution into the Sassanid Empire of Iran, introducing the term Yaldā, meaning birth, causing Shab-e Yaldā to became synonymous with Shab-e Chelleh. Although both terms are used interchangeably, Chelleh is more commonly accepted for this occasion.

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# Yalda

The True Meaning of December 25th

Happy Birthday Mithras!

By GARY LEUPP

The New Testament provides no specific date for the birth of Jesus. If it occurred as the Gospel of Luke tells us, as shepherds were watching over their fields by night, it probably wouldn't have taken place in December. Too cold. So why do most Christians observe December 25 as Jesus' birthday? The most plausible answer is that in ancient Rome, as Christianity was emerging as a new faith, its calendar was influenced by other up-and-coming belief systems bunched together by adherents of traditional Roman religion as "mystery religions."

One of these was the worship of Mithras, an Indo-Aryan deity (the Mitra of Vedic religion, the Mithra of the Persian Avesta) associated with the heavens and light. His cult entered the Roman Empire in the first century BCE and during the formative decades of the Christian movement was a formidable rival to the latter, with temples from Syria to Britain. Given his solar associations, it made sense to believe that he had been born on the darkest day of the year, the winter solstice. That falls this year on December 21 but the Romans celebrated the birth feast of Mithras on December 25, ordered to do so by Emperor Aurelian in 274 CE. Christian texts from 325 note that the birthday of Jesus had come to be observed on that same day, and the Roman Catholic Church has in modern times acknowledged that the December 25 Christmas quite likely derived from Mithraic practice.

Mithras, the story went, had been born of a virgin. Virgin-birth stories were a denarius a dozen in the ancient world, so this similarity to the gospel story isn't surprising. But Mithras was also born in very humble circumstances in a cave, and upon his miraculous birth found himself in immediate proximity to the bovine. In his case, not mellow manger beasts but a wild bull. In the Persian version of the myth, this bull had been the first creation of Ahura Mazda, another, greater god of light. (Ahura Mazda, in the history of Persian religion, gradually becomes conceptualized as something like the Judeo-Christian God. But his worship in the Zoroastrian tradition probably predates the Jewish conception of Yahweh as universal deity. Quite likely the Zoroastrian conception of God influenced the Jewish one.)

Mithras serving Ahura Mazda subdued the bull, confining it in the cave, and later slaughteed it. The blood of the slaughtered bull then generated vegetation and all life. This myth surely has something to do with cattle-worship among ancient Aryan peoples, which of course survives to this day in India. In Rome the Mithras cult involved such rituals as drenching the Mithras devotee in bull-blood, and having believers in secret ceremonies consume in the form of bread and wine the flesh and blood of the fabled slaughtered bull. A communion ceremony, if you will. Mithras died and was entombed, but rose from the dead. In some accounts, he does so on the third day.

The Mithras cult was affected by earlier religious traditions. Anyone studying mythologies in historical perspective knows that any particular god might have numerous connections across time and space. The Sumerian fertility goddess Inana becomes the Babylonian Ishtar becomes the Greek Aphrodite and the Roman Venus. Inana grieving for her husband Tammuz, who had died after being gored in the groin by a bull, follows him to the netherworld. There are differing stories but in one she achieves his resurrection; in another, the resurrection of both is accomplished by the god of wisdom Enki, on the third day.

The Romans were very familiar with myths about virgin births, births marked by celestial signs, gods born in humble circumstances, newborn gods barely escaping death. The Mithras cult, arriving from Persia in the first century BCE and popular among the Roman soldiers, was accepted nonchalantly in a society which had its devotees of Isis, who had rescued her brother-husband Osiris from the netherworld; Attis, who immaculately conceived by Nana, was gored by a wild boar but resurrected on March 22 (note the proximity to Easter); and the gods of other mystery religions. When the worship of Jesus Christ came along, spreading from Roman Palestine to Jewish communities throughout the empire, and attracting non-Jews as well, they added it to this exotic collection of devotional options. The early Christians for their part were surely influenced by beliefs and practices of other cults.

Many find insights and truths in myths. Joseph Campbell said that "Myths are clues to the spiritual potentialities of the human life." Sigmund Freud felt the stories of Oedipus and Elektra illuminated human psychological development. But he regarded religion as a delusion. Those suffering from the delusion see their own myths as the definitive story, and resist any attempt to explain those myths as derivative from or comparable to others. Thus the Church Father Justin Martyr (ca. 100-65) in his Apologia (I, 66) claimed that "wicked devils have imitated" the Christian communion ceremony "in the mysteries of Mithras, commanding the same thing to be done. For, that bread and a cup of water are placed with certain incantations in the mystic rites of one who is being initiated, you either know or can learn." He noted the obvious similarity between Mithraic and Christian practice, and probably realized that the Mithraic rite long preceded the Christian one. But he could not acknowledge Christian borrowing. The Mithraic practice was devilish, while the Christian sent down directly from God and bearing no relation to previous earthly ones was holy.

The Eucharist is one thing. It is mentioned in the gospels and in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, where it's referred to as "the Lord's supper." So even if it reflects Mithraic borrowing, it at least has scriptural authority. It's based, the believer knows, on God's Word dictated down through the power of the Holy Spirit into the pen of the inspired scribe. But Christmas celebrated on December 25 is a completely non-Biblical tradition, and realizing that, various Christians over the centuries have actively opposed its observance. The Puritans controlling the English Parliament in the 1650s outlawed it, ordering churches closed and shops open this day. In Plymouth, Massachusetts, a law passed in 1659 stated, "Whoever shall be found observing any such day as Christmas and the like, either by forbearing labor, feasting, or any other way upon such account as aforesaid, every such person so offending shall pay for each offense five shillings as a fine to the country."

The use of Christmas trees to mark the occasion has often come under attack. What does a pine tree have to do with the birth of Jesus? Nothing, but it has a lot to do with Attis, into whose temple in Rome each March 22 a pine tree would be carried and decorated with flowers and carvings. Its entry into Christian practice probably comes from Celtic and Germanic pagan customs; the Druids in Britain, for example, used evergreens in connection with winter solstice rituals. The Norse god Odin hanged himself on the yew tree named Yggdrasil, pierced by his own spear, to acquire wisdom. There is a legend that in the eighth century St. Boniface, who converted the Germans to Christianity, found pagans worshipping an oak tree sacred to Thor, and when he had it cut down there sprouted in its place a fir tree that he took as a sign from God. But the practice of bringing such trees into the home only began in Germany during the Reformation in the sixteenth century, with encouragement, according to legend from Martin Luther. German Hessians brought the custom to America during the Revolution, but it did not become popular until the nineteenth century and even by 1900, only one in five U.S. families had one. The majority came to do so during the next two decades.

Holly? Used in Druid and Germanic winter solstice rituals. Yule log? More Druidism. Christmas stockings? Well, no paganism there. Legend is St. Nicholas (Santa Claus is from the Dutch Sint Niklaas), bishop of Myrna (in what's now Turkey) in the fourth century and a very kindly man, discretely dropped pouches of coins down the chimney of an impoverished nobleman's home. They miraculously dropped into stockings hung there to dry by his several daughters who needed dowries to marry. The point is, all these customs are the products of an explainable human history.

So too, the beliefs that produce the holiday. The babe born of a virgin, in a stable, heralded by an angelic host, visited by Magi (Persian Zoroastrian astrologers) following a star, targeted for death by an evil king. None of this would have struck the average Roman as entirely original, but the vague familiarity of the stories may have lent them credibility. It appears that the Christian movement, highly diverse in the first few centuries, was able to incorporate narratives and practices from other traditions into itself that gave it a comparative advantage by the early fourth century. In 313 Emperor Constantine legalized and patronized the faith. Soon thereafter an already formidable empire-wide administrative apparatus merged with state power, and heresies and paganisms were outlawed and largely suppressed. But Christianity continued to incorporate new influences such as the above-mentioned Christmas practices. Few Christians (or others) nowadays know of Mithras, but today much of the world unwittingly celebrates his birth.

My wife and kids and I as usual have up a beautiful tree, honoring not only what's allegorically worthwhile in the Jesus story but in the host of innocent paganisms that fell victim to official Christianity. I've always seen the tree, intruding as it does into the inner sanctum of the Christian home, as paganism's quiet revenge. So here's a glass of wine, raised in honor of the hero of the day, transforming eucharistically even as I partake. Happy birthday, Mithras! As the days grow longer and the nights grow shorter, we thank you, Sun God, for the miracle of photosynthesis you performed to bring us this sacred tree. We thank you for the promise of springtime, which we have faith will arrive without fail, as the landscape predictably dies and resurrects year after year. And we thank you for shining century after century over our delusional imaginations.

Gary Leupp is Professor of History at Tufts University, and Adjunct Professor of Comparative Religion. He is the author of Servants, Shophands and Laborers in in the Cities of Tokugawa Japan; Male Colors: The Construction of Homosexuality in Tokugawa Japan; and Interracial Intimacy in Japan: Western Men and Japanese Women, 1543-1900. He is also a contributor to CounterPunch's merciless chronicle of the wars on Iraq, Afghanistan and Yugoslavia, Imperial Crusades.

Happy Yalda or Yuletide
Dec 21, 2006
Ali Mostofi - Persian Journal

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# Yalda

Significance of winter solstice in Persian culture

By Massoume Price, December 8, 1999

Yalda, a Syric word imported into the Persian language by Syric Christians means birth (tavalod and meelaad are from the same origin). It is a relatively recent arrival and refereed to the "Shab e Cheleh" festival, a celebration of Winter solstice on December 21st. Yalda, forty days before the next major Persian festival "Jashn e Sadeh", has been celebrated in countless cultures for thousands of years. The ancient Roman festivals of Saturnalia (God of Agriculture, Saturn) and Sol Invicta (Sun God) are amongst the best known in the Western world.

In most ancient cultures, including Persia, the start of the solar year has been marked to celebrate the victory of light over darkness and the renewal of the Sun. For instance, four thousand years ago the Egyptians celebrated the rebirth of the sun at this time of the year. They set the length of the festival at 12 days, to reflect the 12 divisions in their sun calendar. They decorated with greenery, using palms with 12 shoots as a symbol of the completed year, since a palm was thought to put forth a shoot each month.

The Persians adopted their annual renewal festival from the Babylonians and incorporated it into the rituals of their own Zoroastrian religion. The last day of the Persian month of "Azar" is the longest night of the year, when the forces of Ahriman are assumed to be at their peak. While the next day, the first day of the month of "Day" known as "Khoram rooz" or "Khore rooz" (the day of the sun) belongs to Ahura Mazda, the Lord of Wisdom. Since the days are getting longer and the nights shorter, this day marks the victory of the sun over darkness. The occasion was celebrated in the festival of "Daygan" dedicated to Ahura Mazda, on the first day of the month of "Day".

Fires would be burnt all night to ensure the defeat of the forces of Ahriman. There would be feasts, acts of charity and a number of deities honored and prayers performed to ensure the total victory of the sun that was essential for the protection of winter crops. There would be prayers to Mithra (Mehr) and feasts in his honor, since Mithra is the Eyzad responsible for protecting "the light of the early morning", known as "Havangah". It was also assumed that Ahura Mazda would grant people's wishes.

One of the themes of the festival was the temporary subversion of order. Masters and servants reversed roles. The king dressed in white would change place with ordinary people. A mock king was crowned and masquerades spilled into the streets. As the old year died, rules of ordinary living were relaxed. This tradition persisted until the Sassanid period, and is mentioned by Biruni and others in their recordings of pre-Islamic rituals and festivals. Its origin goes back to the Babylonian new year celebration. These people believed the first creation was order that came out of chaos. To appreciate and celebrate the first creation they had a festival and all roles were reversed. Disorder and chaos ruled for a day and eventually order was restored and succeeded at the end of the festival.

The Egyptian and Persian traditions merged in ancient Rome, in a festival dedicated to the ancient god of seedtime, Saturn. The Romans exchanged gifts, partied and decorated their homes with greenery. Following the Persian tradition, the usual order of the year was suspended. Grudges and quarrels would be forgotten and wars interrupted or postponed. Businesses, courts and schools were closed. Rich and poor became equal, masters served slaves, and children headed the family. Cross-dressing and masquerades, merriment of all kinds prevailed. A mock king, the Lord of Misrule, was crowned. Candles and lamps chased away the spirits of darkness.

Another related Roman festival celebrated at the same time was dedicated to Sol Invictus ("the invincible sun"). Originally a Syrian deity, this cult was imported by Emperor Heliogabalus into Rome and Sol was made god of the state. With the spread of Christianity, Christmas celebration became the most important Christian festival. In the third century various dates, from December to April, were celebrated by Christians as Christmas. January 6 was the most favored day because it was thought to be Jesus's Baptismal day (in the Greek Orthodox Church this continues to be the day to celebrate Christmas). In year 350, December 25 was adopted in Rome and gradually almost the entire Christian church agreed to that date, which coincided, with the Winter solstice and the festivals, Sol Invicta and Saturnalia. Many of the rituals and traditions of the pagan festivals were incorporated into the Christmas celebration and are still observed today.

It is not clear when and how the world "Yalda" entered the Persian language. The massive persecution of early Christians in Rome brought many Christian refugees into the Sassanid Empire and it is very likely that these Christians introduced and popularized "Yalda" in Iran. Gradually "Shab e Yalda" and "Shab e Cheleh" became synonymous and the two are used interchangeably. With the conquest of Islam the religious significance of the ancient Persian festivals was lost. Today "Shab e Cheleh" is merely a social occasion, when family and friends get together for fun and merriment. Different kinds of dried fruits, nuts, seeds and fresh winter fruits are consumed. The presence of dried and fresh fruits is reminiscence of the ancient feasts to celebrate and pray to the deities to ensure the protection of the winter crops.

Iranian Jews, who are amongst the oldest inhabitants of the country, in addition to "Shab e Cheleh", also celebrate the festival of "Illanout" (tree festival) at around the same time. Illanout is very similar to the Shab e Cheleh celebration. Candles are lit and all varieties of dried and fresh winter fruits are served. Special meals are prepared and prayers are performed. There are also very similar festivals in many parts of Southern Russia that are identical to "Shab e Cheleh" with local variations. Sweet breads are baked in the shape of humans and animals. Bon fires are made and dances resemble crop harvesting. Comparison and detailed studies of all these celebrations no doubt will shed more light on the forgotten aspects of this wonderful and ancient festival, where merriment was the main theme of the festival. Happy Shab e Cheleh.

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# Winter Solstice, Yule, Yuletide, Yalda

By: Dr. A. Jafarey

All storing or migrating animals, from the tiniest insect to the largest
mammal, are well acquainted with the changes of seasons. They have their
"calendar." They know the approach of spring, summer, autumn and winter and
prepare to come in open, migrate from a fixed place to another, begin storing and/or prepare to retire or hibernate in their winter quarters.

Mankind has been doing the same since its evolution and then the dispersion
into different lands. We have signs of how humans have closely observed the
movements of the sun, the moon and the stars since thousands of years. We
have records of how they knew the solar calendar for their day-to-day living
since cave days. This climate and calendar consciousness has been common to
humans all over the world. They have known the equinoxes and solstices in
both hemispheres.

Their preparations to adjust to the seasonal changes have evolved into
ceremonies that begin with each change. Obviously, where seasonal changes
have been more marked, the recognition was more accurate and
where it did not matter much, the change brought hardly any marked change in
life.

The people for whom winter meant quite an experience, paid more attention to
the Winter Solstice, the people to whom spring brought new life, welcomed
the Vernal Equinox and the people who depended more on seasonal rains,
hailed the beginning of monsoon as their festive time.

History shows that the people nearer to the North Pole were more concerned
with the Winter Solstice than any other people. The Nordic people,
comprising of the Celts and Germanics, have been paying attention
comparatively to the very longest night more than
others. They are the people for whom the Winter Solstice, the turn to have
more of the sunlight meant much. Samhain of the Celts and Yule of the
Germanics stand for Winter Solstice. For them, it was a "rebirth" of the sun
whose light had shortened to few hours a day. And once an idea gets a
community, imagination wanders and wonders to create a myth around it. Yule
and Yuletide meant the re-death and re-birth of the Sun god. It may be added
here that many scholars of Nordic studies think that "yule" means "wheel"
and that it stands for the "Wheel of the Sun" and the solar cycle.

Santa Claus, with a number of other names, is yet another sign that the
Winter Solstice of Christianity has its roots far into the North of Nordics.

Meanwhile, the people on the Mediterranean were also paying more attention
to the seasonal changes. The sun played a very bright part in their life.
They too noticed the longest night, of course shorter than what the Nordics
went through, that heralded the lengthening of daylight - the "growing" Sun.
Their myth had made the sun "Invictus," unconquerable, yet they imagined it
dwindling only to take birth out of the rock as a full grown strong, young
man, and not a baby.

Time brought the two peoples together and they found certain beliefs common.
That gave the Winter Solstice celebration of the rebirth of the Sun (god) a
new impetus to Europe and the eastern coast of the
Mediterranean - today's Turkey and the Near East.

The two terms "Yule" and "Yuletide - Yule time" traveled to the eastern
Mediterranean. Meanwhile, we know that the First Ecumenical Council held in
Nicea in 325 CE under Emperor Constantine (about 274-337 CE), himself an
overt convert from Solar henotheism to
Christianity, made Christianity the state religion of the Byzantine Empire
and that Yuletide was declared to become the Birthday of Jesus.

One can guess that "Yuletide" connected to the "re-birth" sounded to the
Semitic ears of the Syriac people so similar to "yalda," the word for
"birth." "Yalda" easily replaced "Yuletide" and quite correctly for the
Semitic Christians. It made sense.

Meanwhile, in the Iranian Plateau with its well-marked four seasons, the
Vernal Equinox was the beginning of the New Solar Year - Nowruz. It has all
along been the greatest national festival for the Iranians. But their true
tropical calendar had also the first day/date of
the fourth month Tir on the beginning of the Summer Solstice, Autumnal
Equinox on the first day of the seventh month - Mehr, and the Winter
Solstice on the first day of the ninth month Dey. The four seasons
began/begin on the first day of each quarter in their turn. Winter on the
Plateau also means more of indoor living. The Solstice for them was the
beginning of the 40 very cold days of the winter time. They called it
"Chelle-ye Zemestbn - Winter Forties" compared with
"Chelle-ye Tbbestbn - Summer Forties," the very hot days of summer.


Winter Solstice was also celebrated by the Assyrian and Chaldean Iranians as
"Yalda." We have Iranian astrologists, historians and poets of early 10th
century CE mention "Yalda, 25th December," as the
Birthday of Jesus.

And now for decades we have daily newspapers, radio and television in modern
Iran. Their commentators have dramatized and generalized it so much so that
the entire Iranian nation, knowingly and unknowingly,
celebrates Yalda more as the night of the rebirth of the "Sun" than connect
it with the birth of Jesus who is the "Son" of God for Christians and the
Prophet of God for Muslims!

Hardly any person cares to re-think and realize that the pre-Zarathushtrian
mythology does not speak at all about the births and deaths of its gods and
goddesses - Sun, Moon, Wind, Cloud, Thunder, Rain, Rivers, Waters and a long
list of other visible (daeva/deva)
deities, and Varuna, Mithra , Airyaman and other invisible (ahura/asura)
beings. They have always been there. No birth, no death, no dates!

Again, hardly any person cares to re-think and realize that "Good
Conscience," the Good Religion founded by Zarathushtra Spitbma has no myth
and legend to entertain any person fond of fiction. It speaks of the Fact of
Good Life and how to live it all along perfection, immortality and Ushtb,
Radiant Happiness.

The only birthday celebrated in the Avesta is the Birthday of Zarathushtra,
a unique human personality of Good Guidance for all times and climes.
But the Iranians have, like many other nations, finding reasons and excuses
to celebrate as many joyful occasions as they can make it! Yalda is one of
them. Happy Yalda to all!

Ali A. Jafarey
28 Azar 3740 ZRE = 19 December 2002 CE.
PS. This was just a note. I have a long essay in English and Persian on the
subject. I leave it for a more appropriate occasion.

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# Merry Mitra

By Hashem Farhang - December 11, 1997

A chance meeting, some two years ago, of an Iranian scholar who, as fate has it, now lives in Helsinki, Finland, introduced me to an aspect of Iranian history, which to this date is nothing short of a love affair with my ancestors, long forgotten but who deserve to be remembered for what they truly were. For this enlightenment, I am forever indebted to this friend.
At this particular time of the year, I would like to share something with my fellow Iranians that I think speaks volumes of everything Iranian that has been stolen. I feel sure that there are thousands of Iranians who are aware of this, but somehow have not kept reminding others of the facts.
When my children were growing up and were still at home, Christmas was a difficult time for us parents. At school and other gatherings, my children like all other Iranian children, could not quite understand the lack of enthusiasm that we exhibited at the holiday season. I dare say that this indifference in us parents, may have even strengthened the feeling that their parents are "different." They, as children everywhere, never felt different. But their parents? Well you know.
The result of the chance meeting, was that a small amount of research produced a very sweet little historical fact. And had I known this, I would have happily, gladly, and most proudly celebrated this particular holiday season as one of my very own. And I would not have been uncomfortable at Christmas, whether I had a tree or not.
For this reason, I want to share this fact with all Iranians, in Iran or abroad, and to recommend celebrations on December 25th as the birthday of Mitra, which we celebrated as early as 5000 B.C. Zoroastrians after refining and discarding some of the mythical and "heretical" aspects of Mithraism, retained Jashn-e-Mehregan and Yalda or "The Birth."
Iranians celebrated Yalda and decorated an evergreen tree, the sarve. The sarve (Rocket Juniper - what a name! - also known as the cypress tree), being straight, upright and resistant to the cold weather (symbol of hardship) was thought appropriate, to represent Mitra. The younger girls had their "wishes" symbolically wrapped in colorful silk cloth and hung them on the tree with lots of presents for Mitra, to answer their prayers.
As you may know, Pope Leo in the fourth century, after almost destroying the temple of Mitra (A.D. 376), in his campaign against Mitraism -- and in the good old Christian tradition, "If you can't claim it, imitate it" -- proclaimed the 25th of December as Christ's birthday instead of January 6th, a date, by the way, that is still celebrated by the Eastern Orthodox Church, as well as the Armenians.
Again in the same tradition, Luther, the famous German reformer, in the 18th century (1756, I believe), having learned of the Yalda sarve tree, introduced the Christmas tree to the Germans. As sarves were not much known in Germany, as indeed in most of Europe, the chosen tree became a genus of pine which was abundant in Europe.
So now with or without the children at home, we decorate a small sarve with a star on top and many presents, not necessarily for Mitra, but to my ancestors ant for my children and hopefully soon to my grandchildren. Happy Yalda and greetings of the season to all you Iranians -- no matter what your religion.

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# Yalda

By: Parviz Varjavand

Mithrakana, The Reason for the Season ! Mehrgan in Farsi, Mehrajan in Arabic, and Mithrakana in Latin, all mean festivals and celebrations in honor of Mithra, Mithras, or Mehr Izad. These festivals do not necessarily occur at the same time. In present day Arabic usage, Mehrajan means any great celebration. In 1976 there was a great Islamic gathering in London called " Mehrajan Al Allam Al Islamiya", or "The Mehrgan of the Islamic World ! ". This can only remind us of the grandeur that Mehrgan must have had in ancient times so that the conquering Arabs thought that any great festival must be some kind of Mehrajan. The original Mehrgan of the Iranians in honor of Mehr Izad occurred on the autumn equinox and as a counter part of Nowrooz that occurs at the spring equinox. Pre-Islamic Iran observed two calendars, one civil and one religious. While the Zoroastrian reform calendar, or the Fasli, managed to keep the time of NowRooz fixed at the Vernal Equinox, it could not do the same for Mehrgan, and it is celebrated by Zoroastrians a few days after its proper time. The Romans celebrated Mithrakana on December 25th in honor of the birth of Mithra. There are many efforts to divide the field of Mithraic studies into separate spheres of Roman Mithras and Persian Mithra. It has something to do with having to keep the word "Aryan" tainted and illegitimate in order to get even with the bad deeds of Italian Fascism and German Nazism. The Christian placement of the birthday of Jesus Christ on this day is also responsible for not allowing too much information to come out regarding this issue and the water has to be kept muddy. Curiosity can kill the cat and one must be very careful when stepping in this field of study for unfortunately the field is still a minefield and a war zone due to what it may trigger amongst the crazy ultra right white brotherhoods. The difference between celebrating Yalda or Dijoor at winter Solstice and Mithrakana at Dec. 25th. further complicates the issue. Dec.21st. is the birth of Solis Invicti or The Unconquerable Sun ( The Mithra of Mythology ), while Dec. 25th. is the birthday of a prophet Mithra who claimed to be the Sun God reborn in flesh. Festival of Deygan is something other than all the above altogether. So I celebrate Mithrakana on December 25th. I hang a wreathe of green cypress on my door tied together with a big red ribbon. I wear a red pointed cap like Santa and put up a decorated evergreen tree. I give gifts to my loved ones. I kiss them under a mistletoe. I do all this to feast the night in honor of Mithra who is being born of His Virgin Mother Anahita. All the above and many more of Christmas traditions are Mithraic and Iranian in origin. If someone asks you " Do you know what is the reason for the season ?" answer "The birth of Mithra".

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# Iranian Festivals

Nowruz: Celebration of the start of spring ("Rejuvenation"). It starts on the first day of spring (also the first day of the Iranian Calendar year) and lasts for 13 days.
Sizdah Bedar: Persian Festival of "Joy and Solidarity". The 13th/last day of Nowruz celebration ("Getting rid of the thirteen!"). It is celebrated outdoors along with the beauty of nature.
Mehregan: Festival of Mehr (or Mihr). A day of "Thanksgiving".
Jashne Sade: A mid-winter feast to honor fire and to "defeat the forces of darkness, frost and cold".
Shabe Chelle: The turning point. End of the longest night (darkness) of the year, and beginning of growing of the days (Lights). A celebration of Good over Evil. Also known as Shab-e Yaldā.
Sepandarmazgan: Day of Love, Friendship and Earth in ancient Persian culture.
Chaharshanbe Suri: Festival of Fire, last Tuesday night in the Iranian Calendar year. It marks the importance of the light over the darkness, arrival of spring and revival of nature.

wiki

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Nowruz Equinox

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Ancient FESTIVAL OF NEW YEAR still celebrated in Caucasus and Iran.

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Nowruz

2010: UN recognises Nowruz

The United Nations General Assembly has recognized March 21 as the International Day of Nowruz, describing it a spring festival of Persian origin which has been celebrated for over 3,000 years and calling on world countries to draw on the holiday's rich history to promote peace and goodwill. During the meeting of The Inter-governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage of the United Nations, held between 28 September – 2 October 2009 in Abu Dhabi, Nowrūz was officially registered on the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In response to the UN recognition, Iran unveiled a postage stamp. The stamp was made public in the presence of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during the first International Nowruz Celebrations in Tehran on Saturday, 27 March 2010. President Ahmadinejad also called for joint efforts to further acquaint the world about the meaningful holiday, adding that it could significantly promote global peace and justice: “Observing Nowruz will not only promote cultural values, but it will also help nations establish relations based on friendship, peace, justice and respect.”

2012: United Nations observes Nowruz celebration

March 21: The United Nations observed Nowruz celebration in presence of representatives from 11 Persian-speaking countries, ambassadors along with diplomats from other member states at New York headquarters on Wednesday. Representatives from Iran, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan in speeches delivered to the ceremony highlighted the longstanding event of Nowruz. International Nowruz Day was has been designted by United Nations in 2010. This was initiative by several countries that share this holiday, including Albania, Azerbaijan, Macedonia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Turkmenistan. Several international music groups performed concerts in the ceremony. Nowruz is celebrated and observed by Iranian nation and the related cultural continent and has spread in many other parts of the world, including parts of Central Asia, Caucasus, South Asia, northwestern China, the Crimea and some groups in the Balkans.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon sends message on Nowruz

Ban Ki-moon has sent a message on the International Day of Nowruz, calling on nations to work for a better global community. he defined Nowruz as a moment of cleansing and rebirth, and an opportunity to renew wishes of peace and goodwill. He said: “Nowruz is a day for family and friends, for festive meals, for dancing and singing. The day is an event to value mutual respect and the aspiration for harmony by all societies. This has been celebrated for millennia by peoples of Western, Central and South Asia, the Caucasus, the Balkans and other regions. Nowruz represents a rich tapestry today, weaving together customs, rituals and festivities in harmony with nature. The holiday is a reminder that we all share a common fate and must work for a better future. Here's a look at this ancient Iranian celebration. More than anything, Nowruz is a day of promise, the promise of life renewed and hope refreshed. On this first day of spring, we must all carry this message of peace, harmony and reconciliation.”


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23 March 2012

Iran: Nowruz has message of peace, friendship for the world

In the website of Global Festival of Nowruz, Iranian Defence Minister Ahmed Vahidi said that Nowruz has a message of peace, friendship and religious teachings for the world nations.

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Sunday March 28, 2010

Iran issues stamp celebrating International Day of Nowruz

Iran has unveiled a postage stamp exclusively published to commemorate the UN-recognized International Day of Nowruz.
The stamp was made public in the presence of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during the first International Nowruz Celebrations in Tehran on Saturday.
Nowruz, meaning “a new day,” is an ancient Iranian tradition that has been celebrated around the globe for nearly three millenniums.
It honors the first day of spring as a new year and a brand new beginning on a merry, peaceful note. It is celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox, which normally lands on March 21.
The UN General Assembly recognized March 21st as the International Day of Nowruz earlier in February, calling on world countries to draw on the holiday's rich history to promote peace and goodwill.
On Saturday, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Nowruz should serve as an opportunity for world nations to strengthen their bonds and make their peace with one another.
President Ahmadinejad also called for joint efforts to further acquaint the world about the meaningful holiday, adding that it could significantly promote global peace and justice.
“Observing Nowruz will not only promote cultural values, but it will also help nations establish relations based on friendship, peace, justice and respect,” he emphasized.

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Friday April 3, 2009

Canada parliament recognizes 'Nowruz Day'

The Canadian parliament has designated the vernal equinox or the first day of spring as 'Nowruz Day', marking the Persian New Year.
Liberals' motion, which was initially rejected by conservatives last week, passed through the House of Commons by unanimous consent on March 30th, 2009, Toronto Iranians reported.
Establishing Nowruz Day is breakthrough in recognizing the influential role of the Iranian-Canadian community in Canadian life and culture, said Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff.
Despite resistance from Conservative government members, I am happy to see that the Parliament of Canada has designated the first day of spring as Nowruz Day, he said.
"This recognition by the Canadian Parliament of such an important cultural tradition underscores our commitment to the multicultural society we have built together."
Liberal parliamentarian for Richmond Hill Bryon Wilfert also expressed his delight saying, "This is a victory for multiculturalism and specifically for all those Canadians of Persian descent that hold the celebration of Nowruz so dear."
"This is not just a matter of recognition, but gives Iranian-Canadians the respect they deserve."

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Nowruz in the Twelver Shia faith
Along with Ismaili’s, Alawites and Alevis, the Twelver Shia also hold the day of Nowruz in high regard. The day upon which Nowruz falls has been recommended as a day of fasting for Twelver Shi’a Muslims by Shi’a scholars, including Abul-Qassim al-Khoei, Imam Khomeini and Ali al-Sistani. The day also assumes special significance for Shias as it was on 21 March 656 AD when the first Imam Hazrat Ali assumed the office of Caliphate.

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In praise of… Nowruz

As western nations celebrate the coming of spring, other cultures are observing an ancient festival of renewal

Editorial - The Guardian, Monday 21 March 2011

In western cultures, today is the spring equinox – the long-awaited moment that marks the end of winter, when the days begin to stretch out noticeably and the nights to shrink. But in countries and cultures across the Middle East and central Asia, notably Iran, 21 March is Nowruz (or Nawroz, in Kurdish, or Norouz or Nauroz or several other variant spellings that shift from city to city across Asia), the ancient festival of the new year. Like Easter in countries with a Christian tradition, the religious and the pagan have merged into a single anniversary marked with symbols of new life, such as decorated eggs and spring flowers. In Iran, where it is associated with Zoroastrianism, celebrants jump over bonfires to mark the victory of light over darkness, and the ash of the fires is buried in the fields in a marriage of fire and earth. Tables are set with symbols of wealth, health and happiness, and also goldfish in a bowl to signify life within life. In pre-Islamic days, according to the great Persian poet Omar Khayyam, the first greeting of the day to the king was for "wisdom, insight and sagacity". Festivals only endure when they are capable of reinvention. So in Kurdish culture, where Nawroz is a reminder of victory over the murderous tyrant Zuhak, it is celebrated from Istanbul to the beaches of California as both national independence day and an emblem of resistance. It is a promise that release from the burden of winter will one day be accompanied by freedom from political oppression too.

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HOW NOWRUZ IS CELEBRATED

Spring is considered by many nations as a symbol of rebirth when flowers bloom and nature casts a green spell of fresh vitality.
People in many countries welcome spring with the ancient Nowruz (new day) celebrations which coincides with the astronomical Vernal Equinox Day or the first day of spring.
According to master of Persian epic poetry Ferdowsi, Nowruz festivities date back to the time of mythological Iranian king Jamshid who saved mankind from a killer winter that was destined to kill every living creature.
Shahnameh (The Book of Kings) has it that Jamshid built a throne studded with gems and had demons raise him above the earth into the heavens where he sat on his throne like the sun shining in the sky.
The creatures of the world, who were awed by him gathered about him in wonder, scattered jewels and called the day the New Day or Nowruz.
Now people of Azerbaijan, India, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan mark the Persian New Year on the same day with various types of festivities such as games, songs and dances.
Nowruz is a celebration of renewal and change, a time to visit relatives and friends, and pay respect to senior family members. People prepare to welcome the New Year days before by spring cleaning and buying new clothes.
The night before the last Wednesday of the year is celebrated as Chahar Shanbeh Suri or the Wednesday Festival.
The festival of fire is the reminiscence of the Suri festival held by ancient Iranians to welcome visiting spirits and angels who they believed descended before the New Year came.
Ancient Persians used to light bonfires on rooftops to inform the visiting spirits that they were ready to receive them.
The public now follow the tradition by holding the festival of fire as a celebration of light (the good) winning over darkness (the evil).
People make bonfires in public and jump over the flames saying 'my yellowness is yours, your redness is mine,' telling the fire to take their pain, sickness and give them its strength and health.
Children re-enact the visits by spirits by wrapping themselves in shrouds and running through streets banging on pots and pans with spoons, trick or treating from door to door.
The ritual is known as Ghashogh Zani (spoon beating) and symbolizes the beating out of the last unlucky Wednesday of the year.
People also serve different kinds of pastry, and Ajil-e Moshkel-Gosha (problem-solving nuts) as a symbolic way of showing gratitude for the previous year's health and happiness.
Some break earthen jars which symbolically hold one's bad fortune and some entertain themselves performing the ritual of Fal-Gush inferring one's future from the conversations of those passing by.
Gereh-goshai is another ritual of the Wednesday Festival in which people make a knot in the corner of a handkerchief or garment and ask the first passerby to unravel it in order to remove ones misfortune.
After celebrating the festival of fire, Iranians start preparing the Haft Seen, a table with seven items starting with the letter 'S,' which is set to welcome the Persian New Year.
The items usually include Sabzeh (freshly grown greens), Samanu (sweet wheat paste), Senjed (jujube), Seeb (apple), Seer (garlic), Somagh (sumac) and Serkeh (vinegar).
Sabzeh symbolizes rebirth and prosperity, while Samanu is believed to bring strength and fertility. Some maintain that Samanu replaced Haoma, a scared herbal drink known for its healing properties.
Senjed is a symbol of love and some believe that when the tree is in full bloom, the fruit and fragrance makes people fall in love. The tree also symbolizes shelter and security.
Seeb was known as a fertility treatment in ancient Persia and is a symbol of beauty and health in many cultures.
Fresh garlic was used to ward off evil omens and Iranians put it on their Haft Seen table as a symbol of peace and serenity.
Sumac is known by some as the spice of life and its color brings to mind the color of sunrise and victory of light over darkness which ancient Persians associate with the victory of good over evil.
Serkeh is a symbol of patience and old age as it starts out as grapes and undergoes many transformations before it finally turns into a taste improver.
Apart from the main Haft Seen items, people also put the holy Qur'an tin hopes of being blessed by God in the coming year.
Ayneh (mirror), Mahi (goldfish), Tokhm-e Morgh (egg), Ajil (dried nuts and fruits), Sham' (candle), Sekkeh (coin), Sonbol (hyacinth) and Sheer (milk) are also among the items Iranians include in their Haft Seen.
The whole table is a thanksgiving table for all the good bestowed by God, and symbolizes light, warmth, life, love, joy, production, prosperity, and nature.
During the last few weeks before Nowruz people, especially children, go on streets to see Haji Firuz who appears on the streets and alleyways with his troupe of musicians.
Haji Firuz is a black-faced character wearing bright red clothes and a felt hat who entertains people with music and dancing.
People of all ages gather around him and his troupe, and some even shower them with coins and paper money.
When the last hour of the old year is coming to an end all members of the family wear new clothes or their best outfits and sit around the Haft Seen listening to the head of the family recite the Nowruz prayers.
Once the New Year is announced, people exchange presents known as Eydi, sweets are passed around and wild rue is burned to keep the evil eye away. Families then eat a special rice dish served with fish and herbs.
The first few days of the New Year are usually spent visiting elders, relatives and friends.
Zoroastrians celebrate the birth anniversary of Prophet Zoroaster on the sixth day of Nowruz holidays which falls on March 26.
Nowruz festivities continue for 12 days and on the 13th day people attend picnics or parties in a tradition called Sizdah Bedar or 'thirteen-in-the-outdoors.'
On this day families enjoy the final day of their New Year holidays in the woods, mountains or along streams and rivers to avoid the bad luck associated with the number thirteen.
People throw their Sabzeh, which has symbolically collected all the sickness and bad luck, into running water and young girls tie wild grass tops and wish for a happy marriage in the coming year.
Iranians believe an individual's conduct in Nowruz will affect their lives throughout the year; therefore, they abstain from fights and disagreements to ensure a good year.

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Xinjiang Uygurs celebrate Nowruz festival to welcome spring

URUMQI, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Kite flying, dancing, eating sweet lamb stew and playing a game on horseback is how the Uygur people in northwest China celebrate the start of spring.

Nowruz, which means spring water, marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the year on the Iranian calendar. Usually falling around March 21 each year, it was celebrated Sunday this year.

Nowruz is celebrated not only by Uygurs, but also by Kazaks, Kirgizs and Uzbeks in China's western Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

On Nowruz, people usually get up early and put on their best clothes. The head of the family waves burning pine and fir branches over the heads of his family members to wish them good luck in the coming year.

After extinguishing the branches, he lays them in front of the barn door for the farm animals to walk over which, according to ancient Uygur beliefs, will make the animals plump and fertile.

The traditional Nowruz stew, "Harach," is made of corn, carrots, raisins, rice, lamb and other 23 ingredients. It is usually served at lunch, and after finishing the meal people visit close relatives.

This year more than 5,000 local residents and tourists participated in a grand celebration held in Yapchan, a small county famous for the polo-like game of Buzkashi. But unlike polo, the horse riders play with a dead goat rather than a ball, and use their hands rather than sticks and pick-up and carry the goat.

"Nowruz is not just about celebrating. It also heralds the beginning of ploughing," said Uzman, a 45-year old Uygur, who played the Dutar, a two-string lute, at the Yapchan festival.

He said that he had participated in the festival for 14 years and that he noticed more and more tourists each year. [2011-03-21]

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United Nations

The International Day of Nowruz was registered on the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on February 23, 2010, and the festivities are now celebrated in many countries as far as the US and Canada. The United Nations also promotes Nowruz by holding celebrations and introducing the tradition as a representation of peace and solidarity between generations and within families as well as reconciliation and neighborliness among peoples and different communities.

Persian year 1390 started on Monday 21 march 2011.

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www.presstv.ir

www.nowroz.ir

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Nowroz

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"NOWROZ"

By Sayed Intisar Mahdi (2009).


Nowroz is Islamic day.

It falls on 20 or 21 March.

On this day entire system of the universe is changed. This change every single thing.

On this day occured day of Ghadir.

18 Dhul Hijja fell on 21 March 632.

The Sinless Imams of Ahulbayt declared Nowroz as their day.

Imam Jafar said,

“Do you recognise this day.Nowroz is that day on which God took oath from His people to worship Him, and not commit Shirk, and believe in Nabis, Rasuls, and those Hujjahs which are greater than all creation, and on Imams and guides, and on Imams, This is the day on which Sun rose, and winds blew, and flowers blossomed. On this day Noah's Ark came to rest on mount Jodi. On this day God heard prayer on Prophet Ezkiel and raised from the dead the three thousand people had died after fleeing death. On this day revelation began (27 Rajab) on Prophet Muhammad. On this day, Abraham broke the idols of infidels. On this day, Prophet make Ali stand on his shoulders and break the idols in the Holy Mosque of Mecca. On this day, at Ghadir Ali's walayah was declared. On this day, Ali was victorious in war against Khawarij at Nahrawan. On this day, the Messiah Mahdi will appear. All Imams will return on this day. On this day Imam Mahdi will crucify Dajjal.”

On Nowroz, special water falls from the rain. Its called Abay Neesan.

Imam Jafar said,

“He who collects this water, and reads on it seventy times each Surah Fatiha, Ayah al Kursi, the four Quls, and Surah Qadar, and Allahoakbar, Laelaha Illallah, Darood, and drinks the water, then God will fill heart with light, understanding and wisdom; and He will protet him from all troubles and disasters. He who drinks this water for seven days, morning and evening, then the bones in his body, and veins will be free of all pains and diseases. A woman who could not have a son, God will give her son if she drinks abay Neesan with this intention; and a barron woman will become fertile again by mercy of God.”


Time of Nowroz is very blessed and sacred. It is time for acceptance of prayers. Believers should wash and wear clean clothes, and spread a pure sheet on the floor. Burn a fragrance. Put on table sweets and nuts. Then give Niaz for Imam Ali leader of the believers. Fill on glass with water and placec a red rose in it; and keep an eye on it. The time when this flower moves is the time of prayers.

This is not day of Eid. Eids are four: Fitr, Adha, Ghadir and Friday.


Source:

"Wali Al Asr Jantery 2009" (Published by, Shareeka Tul Hussain Publications, Mianwali.)

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Beads of Power

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The Tasbeeh of Sayeda Fatimah

· Sayeda Fatima used to work very hard in her house. Her father Holy Prophet, could see how hard she worked. One day he told her that he was going to give her something that would be better than a helper or anything else in the world. He taught her this Tasbeeh saying that after every Salaat she should say:

34 Times - "Allahu Akbar"
33 Times - "Alhamdulillah"
33 Times - "Subhanallah"

This is known as the Tasbeeh of Sayeda Fatima.

· Prayer is like a beautiful flower and the Tasbeeh of Sayeda Fatima gives this beautiful flower a beautiful fragrance.

Below are quotes from "Mafaatiih al Jinaan", by Sheikh Abbas Al Qummi:

Imam Baqir said:

· “Whoever recites the tasbeeh of Fatima and then asks Allah for forgiveness, Allah will forgive him. Tasbeeh of Fatimah is 100 times verbal or oral but on scale is recorded 1000 times .It will drive away the Satan from him. The Lord will be pleased with him”.

Imam Sadiq narrated:

· “Whoever did the tasbeeh of Fatima before he unfolded his legs (from the position of sitting in obligation prayer), Allah will forgive him and will make paradise obligatory upon him. The tasbeeh of Fatima after every obligatory prayer is more loved by Allah than praying 1,000 rakat every day”.

· It is preferred to use the beads that are made from the turba of Imam Hussein. It is related that Fatima used to make tasbeeh on her hands, or on a wollen string that was knotted. She later used to make tasbeeh from turbah of Hamzah. After his martyrdom. When Imam Hussein was martyred in Karbala, it became a tradition to use the clay that was from nearby his grave.

Imam Baqir said:

· “If there is better form of worship than tasbeeh of Fatimah, verily Rasulullah must have been given her”.

Imam Mahdi said:

· “That whoever forgot to make dhikr (remembrance) and in his hand if there is a rosary of beads made from the turba of Imam Hussein, reward is written for him”.

Imam Sadiq said:

· “The beads from the grave of Imam Hussein are counted as tasbeeh in the hand of a man, even if he did not make the tasbeeh (i.e. he only held it)”.

· “Whoever did tasbeeh on the clay beads from the grave of Imam Hussein, Allah will write for him 400 good deeds, and will erase from him 400 bad deeds, and meet 400 of his needs (hajat) and raise him 400 degrees/ levels”.

Imam Musa said:

· “The true believer of Islam, a mukmin, is not without five things: a miswak (toothbrush),a comb/brush, a prayer rug, tasbeeh beads (subha) and an aqiq”.


Source: Jaafari Muslim Association (Singapore).

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Rosary of Glory

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[Note: Tasbeeh means Glorification of the Highest God. It also refers the beads on a string used for this purpose of praising the Lord.]

Tasbeeh of Honourable Seyyeda Fatima, Peace of God be upon her

By: Professor Tanveer Fatima

Fatima did house work and suffered hardship.

Prophet gave her some words to read, saying that they are better than a servant:
34 times Allahuakbar, 33 times Alhamdolillah, 33 times Subhanallah.

Maulana Hakeem Seyyed Zakir Hussain writes on page 182 of his book Seerat Seyyeda Fatima,

"Some books tells us how Tasbeeh of Fatima was revealed by God. When people wished to marry Fatima, the Prophet replied that this night a star will decend. Fatima will be married to him in whose house the stars lands. This news spread across Medina. Everyone was awake on their roofs. Near the time of dawn, a star was seen coming down towards Earth. When Fatima saw the star, her pure tongue uttered, "God is Great". She continued to utter these words until the star reached the house of Ali and remained there. During this time, her blessed tongue uttered, "Praise be to God". Then the star headed for the Throne of God. At that time, her sacred toungue said, "Glory be to God". In state of decent she said Allahuakbar 34 times. In state of rest, she said Alhamdolillah 33 times. In the state of return, she said Subhanallah 33 times. this action of hers became known as Tasbeeh of Fatima. Infallible guides recommended the people to read the same for Divine Blessings."

Reports tell us that the it was this Tasbeeh of Fatima which God in Quran refers to as great Zikr. Whoever reads it after Salah, they have done plenty of Zikr of God and remembered him much.

Imam Baqir said, whoever reads Fatima's Tasbeeh and then repents to God, then God will forgive his sins. He also said, worhip of God has not been done better than in Fatima's Tasbeeh. If there was greater worship of God than Tasbeeh of Fatima, then Prophet would have given it to Fatima.

Imam Jafar said, whoever reads tasbeeh of Fatima after Salah, will rise as a saved person. Pardise will become necessary for him. He also said, reading Tasbeeh of Fatima after every Salah is better than reading 1000 Sunnah prayers daily.

If you read this Tasbeeh before setting off on a journey, then you will be save from all dangers of the journey.

If you read this Tasbeeh before you go to sleep, then you will be in worhip all night.


Source:

"Wali Al Asr Jantery 2009" (Published by, Shareeka Tul Hussain Publications, Mianwali)

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Tasbih articles

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[ Articles on Tasbih from various sources ]

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Tasbih (Glorification) of Allah (SWT) of Fatima Zahra (A.S.)

By: Dr. Syed Hasan Akhtar [Austin, Texas]

It is been reported in Da’aem Al Islam that Ali said:

“Once a Persian monarch gave the Prophet some slaves as a gift. I told Fatima to go to the messenger of Allah and ask him for a servant. When she did, the Prophet replied: “Fatima, I will give you that which is better for you than a servant and the whole world with everything in it. After every Salaat say: AllahuAkbar 34 times, AlhamduLillah 33 times, and SubhanAllah 33 times; then conclude that with: “La Ilaha Il-lallah.” Surely this is better for you than which you wanted and the whole world and its belongings. Thus Fatima adhered to this Glorification after every Salaat, and it came to be known as “Tasbih e Fatima”. Abu Haroun, surely we command our children to adhere to Tasbih e Fatima, the same way we command them to perform prayers. So perform the Tasbih, for whoever adheres to it shall never be miserable.”

Reference: “Fatima the Gracious” by Abu Muhammad Ordoni

Imam Jafar AS Sadiq A.S. has said:

“Any one who after the Wajib Salaat before moving the feet (changing the position) recites the Tasbih of Fatima Zahra then all of his/her sins will be forgiven and one should start the Tasbih with AllahuAkbar.”

Imam Muhammad Al Baqir has said:

“One who recites the Tasbih as performed by Fatima Az Zahra and after that asks for forgiveness from Allah, he/she will be forgiven (by Allah). This Tasbih on the tongue (Dikr) is 100 times, but in weight on the scale (of deed) it is counted as one thousand (good deeds), it will distance Shaitan from one’s self, and will make the Beneficent (Allah) pleased.”

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God's Intimacy

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"God’s yearning for intimacy is the real cause of everything, and the only reality in which our hearts can ultimately find refuge..."  (Bourgeault)

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COSMIC INTIMACY

Reverend Cynthia Bourgeault  [ The Contemplative Society, Canada, 2012.]

I have come to see that our yearning for intimacy is the way in which we human beings show ourselves to be most profoundly made in the image of God. Too often our pictures of God distort this essential point. When we think of God as a self-sufficient “first cause”;” when we pray (as in one of those Eucharistic liturgies), “Oh God, you have no need of our prayers,” we are allowing our philosophical minds to betray what our hearts know so indelibly: that God’s yearning for intimacy is the real cause of everything, and the only reality in which our hearts can ultimately find refuge. The old Islamic saying puts it well when it depicts God speaking these words: “I was a hidden treasure and I longed to be known. And so I created the worlds visible and invisible.”

That yearning for intimacy runs through the marrow of everything, joining together the visible and invisible realms, everything we know of our own hearts with everything we know of the cosmic heart. Quarks, molecules, human relationships in all their messiness—everything reverberates with the big bang of God’s primordial yearning for self-communication, for a gravitational field of “knowing and being known.” That’s the profound mystical intuition the doctrine of the Trinity holds at its heart. Even the word “consciousness” begins with “con”—“with”; otherwise it’s just “sciousness” —omniscient, perhaps, but all locked up in itself.

The divine energetic flow is more like eros than agape, as mystics of all spiritual traditions have intuitively known. Its yearning is palpably felt in our own hearts, with an intensity almost more than we can bear. In fact, that’s precisely how one of Christianity’s greatest mystics, William Blake, expressed it: “We are here on earth a little while to learn to bear the beams of love.” That long over-idealized (and over-sanitized) agape, so often depicted as the primary nature of divine love, is not how the situation actually stands; agape is the Omega of Divine Love, not the Alpha. Once again the Trinity furnishes us with the template for understanding. It shows us how Love becomes quieted in itself, serenely flowing and gentled, as the eros that originally called it into being is gently, patiently subjected to kenosis, or “letting go.” Person by Person, Love simply empties itself into the Other. Not a renunciation, not a pushing away, but a gentle loosening of the grip on entitlement and insistence, so that eventually, in the turning of the wheel—(as the poet T.S. Eliot envisioned it):

…the tongues of flame are in-folded
into the crowned knot of fire,
and the fire and the rose are one.
 
 
I see this almost as a divine alchemical formula: A=Ek, in which A stands for agape, E for eros, and k for kenosis. It is the immutable law of the transformation of love, and it is the purpose to which everything on heaven and earth is bent. Ah, but at what cost!

“The presence of God is the absence of God,” my hermit teacher brother Raphael (Rafe) used to remind me. It was when he showed me how to turn the ache around, to experience it as God’s yearning for me rather than my yearning for God, that I eventually came to experience the ache itself as the tether connecting us: the homing beacon of God’s presence made manifest in the forcefield tugging at my heart.

You can do that with a human beloved as well. I learned that when Rafe died sixteen years ago, having promised me for three months beforehand that “nothing would be taken away” from the intimacy of our connection. Already during the last months of his life on earth, he had begun to prep me for this new mode of communication, training me how to sense his more subtle presence through the tether of yearning that joined together our two hermitages, a mile or so apart, in a single communion of hearts. Learning this skill while still in human flesh has helped me to rely on it much more confidently in these sixteen years now since his death, as our human intimacy has indeed continued uninterrupted, only now mediated through “the love that moves the sun and the stars.”

During the time of our human journey together—a far too short three and a half years, but evidently long enough for the lessons that had to be learned within it—I deeply resisted the standard celibate formulation that “our only real hunger is for God. No human being can fill that space.” Not only did that statement seem patently untrue (I knew very well whom it was I hungered for), it also seemed to have the dubious effect of turning God into an object, a suitor among other suitors, to whom saying “yes” required that I say “no” to a human beloved. That simply didn’t ring true with my experience of God, and I resisted having my flesh-and-blood of actual human intimacy so cavalierly spiritualized.

Nowadays I see the situation somewhat differently. What I’d say now is not that we “hunger for God,” but rather, that love is an infinite yearning within us, which cannot, precisely because of its infinite origin, be completely consumed or exhausted in the finite realm. It is, as I said, an echoing reverberation of that primordial “big bang” of God’s own yearning for intimacy, and so its ultimate trajectory will always be toward the infinite. It will eventually overleap its fragile human vessels and point directly, like a finger to the moon, toward Divine love. That does not mean we give up our human beloveds; but it does mean that Love will eventually tend to turn all our human encounters into “the bush that burns but is not consumed.” By its own internal dynamism it pushes toward what T.S. Eliot (again, in one of his Four Quartets) calls “another intensity,” where Agape-come-full will usher us into “a further union, a deeper communion.” Even in the most intense, passionate, “starcrossed lovers,” one-of-a-kind human relationship, the A=Ek principle still holds firm. It is only through widening space, letting go, deferring to the trajectory of Love itself, that human desiring will put on the wedding garments of eternity.

The great human love stories all ring with this alchemy, of course. That most magnificent of metaphysical poets, John Donne, wrote about it with brilliant clarity in his “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning”:

Our two souls therefore, which are one,
Though I must go endure not yet
a breach, but an expansion,
like gold to airy thinness beat.
What part of alchemy do you not understand?

But while the path of relationship with a human beloved is so often and authentically the gateway into divine love, the minefields are also real. It runs the risk of diverting the quest for divine intimacy into the search for the perfect partner—or worse yet, stalling out the whole process in despair or envy on the assumption that the only way to get into the ballpark in the grail quest for intimacy is if one first has first found a “somebody” to be intimate with.

Not the case! The single most astonishing discovery I have made in these decades now of spiritual journeying was put into words by Robert Sardello in his wonderful book Silence (Goldenstone Press, 2006). There I finally could claim the truth I had actually come to recognize in my own life of prayer: that intimacy is not simply a current flowing between two bodies; it is an intrinsic property of the human heart and can be experienced directly as such. Precisely because our hearts are holograms of the divine heart and reverberate in that same vibratory tether, we can come to know “pure intimacy” as a relational field verifiable within our own being. All it takes is that we learn to sit in the stillness of contemplative prayer and find our way into our own hearts through sensation—not through memory, emotional drama, or any of those other cataphatic faculties that ruffle the surface of the heart and disturb its perfectly mirroring capacities. And indeed, I had first became familiar with this bandwidth of pure intimacy through my long years of Centering prayer. But not until reading Sardello did I understand it for what it was; I simply recognized it as a certain “golden tenderness” that sometimes engulfed me in the nanoseconds between the thoughts.

Cosmic intimacy is the trousseau with which we come to this planet, the reverberating frequency through which we are able to realize all of this beautiful, holy, God-saturated universe as “the beloved.” It is hardwired into our hearts, so that we will always be able to find our way home. And so that God’s love can again and again come full and whole in the crucible of our human hearts.  [contemplative.org]

 
[ Source: The magazine, Radical Grace ]
 
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