IRAN: Iranians celebrate the arrival of spring with outdoor picnics and festivities
- 00:01:17
- ITN Source
IRAN: Iranians celebrate the arrival of spring with outdoor picnics and festivities
Iranians gathered in parks and outdoor spaces on Monday (April 2) to celebrate Sizdah-Bedar, the persian festival which marks the coming of Spring. The occasion falls at the end of Nowrouz, a 13-day festival which begins with the Persian New Year. In the capital Tehran, Iranian families and groups of young men and women set up tents and barbecue stalls and feasted together to mark the occasion. The outdoor activities included music and dancing. Children played games and cards alongside adults, some of whom relaxed by smoking traditional water pipes. Iran celebrates several non-Islamic holidays, and the pre-Islamic Nowrouz vacation is one of the most popular, bringing the country to a virtual stop for almost two weeks. The season's festivities are also an opportunity for young Iranians to meet and flirt in a country where mixing in public between unrelated members of the opposite sex is outlawed. The Islamic Republic has an awkward relationship with its ancient Zoroastrian religion, whose festivals are widely observed by Muslim Iranians. Since the 1979 Islamic revolution, the government has usually tried to crack down on pagan partying, prompting clashes between police and youths testing the boundaries of Iran's social restrictions. But analysts say since the election of conservative President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2005, hardliners who opposed the liberal policies of former President Mohammad Khatami may have less need to flex their muscles. Others say the authorities do not want to alienate the people during Tehran's stand-off with the West over its nuclear ambitions. But some of those at the Sizdah Bedar picnics seemed more interested in the festivities than in political matters. "We have a lot of problems to do with nuclear energy, but I do not think Iran worries about this issue or about sanctions," Parisa Saifa, a University student, said.
ITN Source | April 3, 2007
