Happy Charshanbeh Soori!!

Tonight is the last Tuesday in the Iranian calendar.. tonight is celebrated by persians all over and when you're a kid, you love this night!!! A few days before this particular night people go to the fields to pick and accumulate some dry bushes and shrubs, or, if in cities, they buy bushes from those who have provided them from deserts, mountains or fields.

As soon as nighttime arrives, children throughout the country get ready with matches in hand to set the bushes on fire. By kindling them, firecrackers explode and illuminators are thrown into the sky, its really beautiful. When the dried bushes are ablaze, both the young and the old, either male or female, leap over the fire, which is a symbol of historic phenomenon that changed human life from cave dwelling into a civilized one.

On this night (which literally means "Eve of Red Wednesday"), these bonfires are lit in backyards, beaches & parks all over the world, and Persians of all ages come together to jump over the fire as we sing, "Sorkhee-eh tow az man, zardee-eh man az tow, " which means "Give me your healthy red color as you take back my sickly pallor". It's a night to enjoy the company of loved ones, and wipe the slate clean... create a tabula rasa, as it were, for the year ahead.

Usually my family and friends go to a certain beach in Santa Cruz to party hard, spend time with loved ones and jump over some fire. I had a pretty big accident once a couple of years ago when after consuming a few beers, I decided to start running around on the sand. I ran straight into a log that came up to my knee, tripped over it and fell on my face... I ate it pretty hard. I had the BIGGEST bruise on my shin and that Tuesday's memory lasted for about a month on my leg, all through persian new year and beyond!!! =)

I don't know if the weather will hold up tonight to go jump over fire. It's been pretty rainy and cold here in San Jose.... Either way... I hope you all have a Happy Charshanbeh Soori!!!!