Festipath

Chaharshanbe Suri

چهارشنبه‌سوری

Chaharshanbe Suri (چهارشنبه‌سوری) is an Iranian festival held on the eve of the last Wednesday of the year. It is a prelude to Nowruz.

What happens

On the night preceding Nowruz, the most important custom is the lighting of bonfires in yards, village squares, city streets, rooftops, and hilltops. People jump over the flames while saying sorkhi-ye to az man, zardi-ye man az to (سرخی تو از من، زردی من از تو), given as “your redness for my paleness.”

Visitors may also encounter qāšoq-zani (قاشق‌زنی), literally “spoon-banging”: people in disguises go door-to-door, hitting spoons against plates or bowls and receiving packaged snacks. Fortune-telling is also practised, including opening a book of poems by Hafez and interpreting a random verse.

In modern practice, firecrackers and fireworks are widely used. A survey of one hospital’s emergency department in Tabriz during the 2014 festival found that 72.9% of fireworks injuries came from firecrackers and 27.1% were burns from the fires themselves.

Why it matters

Chaharshanbe Suri matters as a living rite of renewal with ancient Zoroastrian origin. Held on the eve of the last Wednesday of the Iranian year, it opens the Nowruz cycle through a direct exchange with fire: the jumper asks the flame to take their paleness and give its redness in return — Sorkhi-ye to az man, zardi-ye man az to (سرخی تو از من، زردی من از تو) — carrying a wish for health into the new year. Its continuity is visible in the public places where it is practised: yards, village squares, city streets, rooftops and hilltops. It is not inscribed on any UNESCO list.

When it happens

Before you go

Chaharshanbe Suri — visiting etiquette

Important

This is a fire festival and people are hurt at it every year. A survey of one hospital’s emergency department in Tabriz during the 2014 festival found that 72.9% of fireworks injuries came from firecrackers and 27.1% from the fires themselves; 73.5% happened while fire-jumping or handling fireworks. Hands (49%) and face (12.2%) were the commonest sites, and 20.5% of burns were third-degree.

Important

Bystanders are not safe by standing back. In the same survey 8.2% of those hurt were simply passing through the streets or travelling in vehicles. If you do not want to take that risk, watch from indoors.

Never

  • Do not photograph military or government installations. Photography near them is strictly prohibited and foreign nationals have been detained and charged.
  • Do not drink alcohol in public. There are no exceptions.

Photography

Fires are lit in public streets and squares, so a camera is conspicuous. Ask people before photographing them, particularly anyone jumping. Separately, photography near military and other government installations is strictly prohibited in Iran and foreign nationals have been detained and charged under national security laws (UK FCDO).

Dress

Iran’s public dress code is law, not custom, and this festival happens outdoors in public. Women must cover their heads with a headscarf and wear trousers or a floor-length skirt with a long-sleeved tunic or coat reaching mid-thigh or knee; men should wear long trousers and long-sleeved shirts (UK FCDO). Loose or synthetic clothing near open flame is its own hazard.

Where it happens

Only the surrounding area is published for this location.

  • Iran

    General area only

  • Tehran & Alborz

    General area only

  • Isfahan & Yazd

    General area only

  • Shiraz & Fars

    General area only

Sources

Short code

ir-nffc6

A short, stable identifier for this entry, printed on cards and quotable anywhere.