Busiest Travel Days of Iran Holiday Season Why you should not consider your travel holiday during the busiest holidays in Iran! Iranians travel a lot in Iran and the number of domestic tours is increasing every year. some travelers travel by themselves and some of them use local travel agencies or tour operators for their holidays. They use public transport such as domestic airplanes and trains as well. Also, they use many standardized or even luxury hotels in the country along with guest houses and local homestays. As we have many official and unofficial public holidays on our calendar, sometimes it makes a very busy traveling time for your trip to Iran. These holiday as we mentioned in the post “Iranian National Holidays in the Calendar” sometimes makes booking difficult. In this useful travel advice, we will indicate the most important one for you as a traveler, travel agency, or tour operator who would like to travel to Iran. Below we listed the dates of continuous Iranian national holidays which make the busiest travel time in Iran for domestic travelers. During those dates, finding the air tickets would be difficult and all of the railway routes would be very busy and the trains are occupied by the locals. If you would like to travel to Iran during the below dates, you have to be aware of your travel time. If you are interested in traveling by train or you are using our Train Journeys, we suggest do not travel during those dates. When some of the listed two days holidays are fixed on the weekdays, the locals take more days off and attach them to the weekend. The weekend in Iran is Thursdays and Fridays. If you couldn’t change your travel date and the below dates are in your travel
Busiest Travel Days of Iran Holiday Season Why you should not consider your travel holiday during the busiest holidays in Iran! Iranians travel a lot in Iran and the number of domestic tours is increasing every year. some travelers travel by themselves and some of them use local travel agencies or tour operators for their
Iranian Ancient holidays versus the Muslim holidays Iran has 22 days of official national holidays which are marked in our Shamshi calendar and more unofficial holidays that most domestic travelers use for their holiday time. Some of the occasions date back to Ancient Persia to the Zoroastrian important events such as Persian New Year (Nowrooz) while many of them are related to the religious holidays which are mostly used in Shiite Muslim countries. Some also commemorate contemporary historical events. The ancient Iranian holidays are fixed every year on the Persian calendar because they are considered on the Solar Hijri calendar “Shamsi Calendar” with 365 days. So you could mark it on your calendar “Gregorian calendar” as a fixed date for Iran’s holiday. But the Muslim religious holidays of Iran do not have a fixed date in the Persian Calendar. Because those dates sets on the Lunar calendar which is mostly used in the Islamic Shia countries. The number of days on this calendar is between 354 to 355 days. This makes about a 10-11 days difference to our Persian calendar. So the national religious holidays of Iran move forward between 10-11 days every year and it makes it complicated for those who would like to travel to Iran or for travel agencies, tour operators, and other companies who work with Iran. Below is the list of Iranian Public holidays and some details: Index Event Number of Holidays Local Name Remarks Type of Calendar 1 Persian New Year 4 Nowruz Celebrating Iranian Ancient New Year Solar 2 Nature Day 1 Sizdah Be-dar Celebrating the rebirth of nature after Nowruz Solar 3 Islamic Revolution Day 1 Dahe-ye Fajr (celebrating Iran’s Islamic revolution for 10 days) contemporary historical events Solar 4 The demise of Imam Khomeini 1 contemporary historical events Solar 5
Iranian Ancient holidays versus the Muslim holidays Iran has 22 days of official national holidays which are marked in our Shamshi calendar and more unofficial holidays that most domestic travelers use for their holiday time. Some of the occasions date back to Ancient Persia to the Zoroastrian important events such as Persian New Year (Nowrooz)
Sizdah Be-dar Day Sizdah Be-dar is the thirteenth day of Farvardin (the first month of the Iranian calendar) and is one of the New Year’s festivals. In Iran’s official calendar, this day is designated as Nature Day and is a holiday. Some people believe that Sizdah Be-dar day has an ominous feel about it, so they prefer to leave their houses that day to spend time outdoors in natural surroundings. However, there is no historical and credible narrative to prove that the ancient Iranians had this view. After twelve days of celebration, Ancient Iranians would, on the thirteenth day of Nowruz, considered an auspicious day, go outside to appreciate nature and rejoice. By celebrating this day, they ended the Nowruz period. Sizdah Be-dar Traditions People prepare everything for Sizdah Be-dar a day before. For Aush Reshteh, all beans and grains get cooked the night before. In some parts of Iran, people believe that food must be cooked with wild herbs on this day. For example, one of the Sizdar Be-dar rituals in Khorasan province is cooking a kind of Aush with wild native herbs. Samanu or halva should also have been on the table on Sizdah Be-dar. Kabab is the other popular food that can be seen on almost every occasion and Sizdah Be-dar is no exception. Before lunch, we eat lettuce with Sekanjabin, (the oldest Iranian drink which is made of honey and vinegar). Usually, nuts are eaten in the afternoon. Playing in a group is the other delightful part of this day. Playing with the family brings joy and vitality, which is an important part of this day's program. Some examples of these games are pantomime, kabaddi, dodgeball, kite flying, snakes and ladders, and football. Knotting the greenery is another tradition of this day. It is common
Sizdah Be-dar Day Sizdah Be-dar is the thirteenth day of Farvardin (the first month of the Iranian calendar) and is one of the New Year’s festivals. In Iran’s official calendar, this day is designated as Nature Day and is a holiday. Some people believe that Sizdah Be-dar day has an ominous feel about it,
Nowruz Persian New Year Nowruz (Noruz) in Iran marks the first day of Farvardin and The New Year. In the Gregorian calendar, Nowruz mostly occurs on March 20 or 21 and rarely on March 22 if it’s a leap year. This day in Iran and Afghanistan makes the New Year. UNESCO has registered Nowruz on its list as a World Heritage in 2009 and in 2010 the United Nations officially accepted the “International Day of Nowruz”. Nowruz is officially a holiday celebrated in many countries such as Tajikistan, Russia, Turkmenistan, India, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Syria, Iraq, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Albania, and Uzbekistan. Iranians have inherited this ancient celebration from different ethnic groups in the region; a celebration with special colors and fragrances, which has a Persian identity and symbolizes the unity of Iranians. Nowruz is known as the beginning of the revitalization of nature, the timing of its growth, and the emergence of plants. Also, they believe they have to start the first day of the year by being in good spirits and wearing new clothes. Nowruz customs and traditions in Iran Chaharshanbe Suri (before Nowruz) Nowruz is a collection of celebrations and events. Nowruz celebrations first begin with Chaharshanbe Suri. On the last Thursday of the year, Iranians visit the graves of their forebearers to spend some time with their deceased loved ones. Khaneh Tekani (Spring cleaning) The other tradition of Nowruz is Khaneh Tekani. Still many people and nations celebrating Nowruz still stick to this tradition. Spring cleaning begins on the eve of New Year to ensure furniture and furnishings are thoroughly cleaned and washed, if appropriate. This cleanliness is a symbol for cleansing people's hearts to let them build a closer relationship with other people. Arranging the Haft-Sin Table Setting the Haft-Sin table is also a
Nowruz Persian New Year Nowruz (Noruz) in Iran marks the first day of Farvardin and The New Year. In the Gregorian calendar, Nowruz mostly occurs on March 20 or 21 and rarely on March 22 if it’s a leap year. This day in Iran and Afghanistan makes the New Year. UNESCO has registered Nowruz
Haft - Sin Table Nowruz is one of the oldest and most important festivals in Iran. Haft - Sin Table is an important part of this event. It is being celebrated since ancient times with numerous customs. Nowruz is the celebration of the New Year. One of the most famous Iranian Nowruz ceremonies is arranging the Haft-Sin table which is placed on the floor or a table. Family members usually sit around it during the spring equinox. Every year, Nowruz tables are set up nationwide with various colors and designs. Without a doubt, some features of the Nowruz ceremonies have changed over time and among distinct ethnic groups. However, the Nowruz table, now called Haft-sin, is another symbol of the start of the New Year. The philosophy of the Haft-Sin table goes back to the Persian religion, belief, culture and traditions. It is based on the sacred number seven. “Haft'' (هفت in Persian), meaning seven and Sin, (or سین in Persian), and is the 15th letter in the Persian alphabet. Haft-Sin is a collection of seven symbolic items whose names begin with the letter "Sin" which sounds like ‘S’ in English. Each one of these seven objects has their own meaning, we are going to explain each of them below: Senjed (Oleaster or Silverberry in English) Oleaster is a symbol of wisdom and procreation. The presence of oleaster in the Haft-Sin is the symbol of acting wisely. some people consider oleaster as a symbol of love and affection. They believe that when it’s put on the Haft-Sin table, it increases the love and affection between family members. Sib (Apple in English) An apple on the Haft-Sin table is a symbol of health and well-being. It brings health to the members of the family by the end
Haft – Sin Table Nowruz is one of the oldest and most important festivals in Iran. Haft – Sin Table is an important part of this event. It is being celebrated since ancient times with numerous customs. Nowruz is the celebration of the New Year. One of the most famous Iranian Nowruz ceremonies is
