Qashoq-zani ,Iranian Celebration
The fire has been sacred in Iranian culture. By the ancient Zoroastrian belief, fire is purifying and has the most veneration. On this pretext, before Nowruz, the Persian New Year, Iranians have some fire celebration rituals that one of them is Chaharshanbe-Suri, last Tuesday on the year: The fire jumping festival. People fire bushes in the streets and jump over it to escape bad luck. They ask the fire to dedicate its warmth and beauty to them and receive their negative vibes!
One of the fun activities young people and kids engage in on in Chaharshanbe-Suri is Qashoq-zani, literally meaning spoon-banging ritual. it is so similar to Trick or treating on Halloween night. In Qashoq-zani night, girls and women or even men, wear the veil and mask their faces, taking a copper bowl and a spoon, walking through dark alleys lit with fire and banging the spoon on the bowl in front of houses. They drop a handkerchief in a house and wait for the host to put candies, nuts or sweets in their napkin or bowl.
Helping poor people is one of the purposes of the last Tuesday of the year in Qashoq-Zani. Near Nowruz and spring, people are delighted to see the winter ends and as a token, they donate their ceremonial foods generously and anonymously.
Iranians are generous people and have been preserved these bracing traditions for thousands of years. At the end of the year in many cities of Iran, many celebrations are set up and the streets are full of positive energies.
