Story of a Relationship
The 7th item of the Couple series.
Sizdah Bedar (Getting Rid of Thirteen’) also known as Nature’s Day is an Iranian festival held annually on the thirteenth day of Farvardin (same as Aries), the first month of the Iranian calendar, during which people spend time picnicking outdoors. It marks the end of the Nowruz (New Year) holidays in Iran.
Celebrating this day was customary even before the emergence of Asho Zoroastrianism (1800 BC).
In Avesta, “Teshtar” is the god of rain. Before Asho Zoroaster, for the rain god to overcome the drought demon, people believed that they should worship this god on this particular day and ask for rain. In ancient Iran, after celebrating the 13th day of Nowruz, which was the beginning of an agricultural semi-year, Iranians went to their fields and farms or plains and deserts and the banks of rivers to worship. They would rejoice and dance and happily asked for rain.
According to some Iranians’ belief the number thirteen is ominous. Sizdah Bedar, therefore, means “getting rid of the ominous of the day thirteen”. Going on a picnic in the heart of nature and natural places is one way to do so. [wikipedia]
In this piece, I showed that the Qajar royal couple went to a picnic on the Sizdah be dar day.
