A Persian Christmas

Describe the religion you celebrate.
“Both of my parents were raised Muslim. My dad still prays five times a day, and he used to fast for Ramadan. They never tried to force Islam onto me, so I never felt any pressure to believe in it. But I did try it. For a couple weeks, I prayed three times a day. I learned this long prayer. Eighth grade is when I started questioning everything. And then atheism happened.”

Describe the holidays you celebrate during the winter season associated with your religion.
“The prophet’s [Muhammad] birthday is December 12. In Iran they get the day off from school and some people go to the mosques to be together on the day, but we don’t do anything. We’re just like ‘Oh, happy birthday.’ You’re supposed to donate to the poor, on that specific day.”

Does your family have any special holiday traditions?
“There are a lot of traditions associated with Iran in general that are rooted in Zoroastrianism. Not that many people practice it. They’re kind of more involved with the calendar itself, because the Persian calendar is based on the sun, so the New Year is the first day of spring. The Wednesday before the New Year is Chaharshanbeh Suri, which ‘Chaharshanbeh’ means ‘Wednesday’ and ‘Suri’ comes from the word ‘red.’ You make little fires, and then you jump over them and say ‘Zardi-e to az man zard-e man az to’ which means like, ‘I give my sicknesses to you, and you give me health,’ because ‘zardi’ is ‘yellowness,’ and yellow is associated with being sick, and then red is like lively and alive, which is like the fire.”

Do you participate in any festivities associated with religions other than your own?
“Yes, I participate in Christmas… I feel like it has become an American thing; it’s fun to give gifts.”

Do you feel as though many of the themes of Christmas have become dissociated with Christianity?
“That’s such a deep question. I’d say yes. It’s kind of more about giving to your friends and your family and spending time with your family as opposed to celebrating– is it the birth of Jesus?”

Do you ever join friends for festivities related to their own religions?
“Every year, me and my friends do Secret Santa, and then we all hang out on the half-day after school and exchange gifts, even though in our group we have Hinduism, Sikhism, atheism, agnosticism, questioning, Jewish, Christian. It’s a good time. We call it Secret Holiday Regalo Ghost.”