Customs and Traditions

Iranian people from all walks of life celebrated on Saturday night one of the most ancient Persian celebrations called Yalda Night, the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

One of the Iranian traditions going back generations is for family members to sit around a korsi on Yalda night.

Yalda dinner, a meal traditionally eaten at the winter solstice each December, forms a significant part of gatherings held to celebrate “Shab-e Yalda” (the longest night of the year) in Iran. Let’s find more about various Yalda dishes in different parts of the country.

Shawl and Pastak weaving is one of the oldest handicrafts in Kurdistan province, especially the border city of Baneh. These shawls are woven with the wool of a particular goat.

In many Zoroastrian-majority villages of Iran, including those in Roodbar, Qazvin, Gilan, Kurdistan, and Isfahan, people celebrate the arrival of autumn and its mythical fruit with festivities such as the pomegranate harvest celebration.

Manufacturing Alamat, a symbolic banner made of metal used in Muharram mourning rituals, has become a family profession for the Hosseinis in downtown Tehran.

Women in the southwestern Iranian province of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad province have their own special ways of mourning the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the third Shiite Imam, in the lunar month of Muharram.

There are many villages in Iran which are known for being unusual in some ways.

The forth Exhibition of Iranian Villagers and Nomads’ Capabilities is currently underway at Tehran International Permanent Fairground.

Iranian people, especially those of Bakhtiari tribe, express their insights, viewpoints, and ideas about life by creating their own characters, myths and motifs.

The midsummer is a special day annually celebrated in many parts of Iran including in Zardui village in the city of Paveh in Kermanshah province, western Iran.

Shamshuk and Zobeideh are two Iranian women artists from the south-eastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan who have managed to break a long-time taboo against women’s singing.

The first regional festival and exhibition of Kurdish Fashion and Clothing has been held in Khosro Abad Mansion of Sanandaj in Iran’s Kurdistan province.

Locho wrestling is a traditional field of Pahlavani sports practiced in the northern Iranian province of Mazandaran.

Yazdi Coffee is a traditional type of coffee made in the Iranian city of Yazd. It is a very tasty drink thanks to the long cooking time and the use of cardamom, rosewater and rock candy in its preparation.

Sekanjabin, a traditional Iranian syrup made up of honey and vinegar, turns into a wonderful tasty drink when combined with cucumber, especially in hot seasons.

An ancient spiritual ritual named Shirdoushan (milking) is still held annually in central Iran after over four centuries.

Shahrbanoo is an Iranian woman who has managed to preserve the legacy of her ancestors in the town of Sorkheh in the east-central Iranian province of Semnan, which is one of the hubs of weaving in Iran.

Iran is a vast country with a wide range of subcultures, tastes, and food diversity, so much so that sometimes the taste of some of these foods and their ingredients seem strange even to the Iranian people themselves.

Chai-churak, or tea-bread in local language, is a small bread made of flour, water, milk, sugar, eggs, oil and sesame seeds.

Sistan and Baluchestan province in south-eastern Iran annually turns into the scene of several theatrical rituals during the holy month of Ramadan, some of which date back to 13 centuries ago.

A young German girl is doing research into Iranian traditions and nostalgic practices which are slipping into oblivion.

An old Iranian villager has collected various agricultural instruments to establish a museum at his home.

The city of Aubin in southern France is hosting the second Silk Road Exhibition with a focus on countries like Iran and Uzbekistan.

The "Dom-Dom Sahari" ritual is among the rites performed in southern Iran in order to wake up people before dawn to say their prayers and eat Suhur (meal eaten at dawn before starting one's daily fast).