Iran hidup dengan tiga kalender sekaligus — tahun Hijriah surya yang dimulai pada Nowruz, kalender Hijriah candra untuk ibadah Islam, dan kalender Gregorian untuk dunia luar — dan perayaannya bergerak di antara ketiganya.
Foto: Babak Habibi, Public domain, melalui Wikimedia Commons
Tahun resmi Iran adalah tahun surya. Tahun itu dimulai pada Nowruz, pada ekuinoks Maret, dan bulan-bulannya mengikuti musim; karena itulah perayaan seperti Yalda pada malam terpanjang selalu jatuh pada waktu yang sama dalam tahun Gregorian. Hari raya Islam justru mengikuti kalender Hijriah candra dan bergeser sekitar sebelas hari lebih awal setiap tahun.
Dengan sekitar dua puluh delapan hari libur nasional, Iran memiliki salah satu kalender perayaan terpadat di dunia. Entri-entri berikut dimulai dengan perayaan sepanjang tahun Iran.
مهرگان
The ancient Iranian autumn festival of Mehr — friendship, affection and the harvest. Tables are laid with pomegranates, apples and grapes, prayers are said, and there is music, dance and, in places, wrestling.
2 Oktober – 2 November 2026Perkiraan
شب یلدا
On the longest night of the year, families gather at the homes of their elders to stay up late around a table of pomegranates, watermelon, nuts and dried fruit, reading Hafez and telling stories until well after midnight.
21 Desember 2026Dihitung
جشن سده
In the depth of winter, fifty days before spring, a great bonfire is lit at sunset. People gather around it to sing, dance and pray, offer blessings and fruit, and celebrate the passing of the coldest days.
30 Januari 2027Dihitung
چهارشنبهسوری
On the eve of the last Wednesday of the Iranian year, bonfires are lit in yards, streets and on rooftops, and people leap over the flames, asking the fire to take away their pallor and give them its red glow for the year ahead.
16 Maret 2027Dihitung
نوروز
Nowruz, “new day”, is the Iranian New Year. It begins at the March equinox, when families gather around the Haft-sin table to wait for the exact moment the year turns, and opens two weeks of visits, food and time outdoors.
21 Maret 2027Dihitung
سیزدهبدر
On the thirteenth day of the Iranian New Year, the whole country heads outdoors. Families picnic in parks and fields, and the sprouts grown for the Haft-sin table are thrown into running water, closing the Nowruz holidays.
2 April 2027Dihitung
گلابگیری
When the Damask roses bloom around Kashan, families pick them before sunrise and distil rosewater in copper stills the old way. Visitors can join the harvest, tour the distilleries and watch the golab being made.
Mei–Juni 2027Perkiraan periode
جشن تیرگان
An ancient midsummer festival of water and rain. People splash each other with water, dance and recite poetry, share spinach soup and saffron rice pudding, and tie rainbow-coloured bands around their wrists.
4 Juli 2027Dihitung