Sepandārmazgān ( fa, سپندارمذگان) or Espandegān (اسپندگان), is an ancient

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

ian day of women with

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic ...

roots dating back to the first Persian Empire, the Achaemenid Empire.M. Boyce,
Textual sources for the study of Zoroastrianism
, University of Chicago Press, 1990. pp. 19–20 This day is dedicated to '' Spənta Ārmaiti'' ( Avestan for "Holy Devotion", ' in

Middle Persian Middle Persian or Pahlavi, also known by its endonym Pārsīk or Pārsīg () in its later form, is a Western Middle Iranian language which became the literary language of the Sasanian Empire. For some time after the Sasanian collapse, Middle ...

, fa, سپندارمذ ' or '), the Amesha Spenta who is given the domain of "

earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

". The date of the festival as observed in the

Sassanid era The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named ...

was on the 5th day of the month Spandarmad. When the name of the day and the month of the day were the same, a "name-feast" celebration was always done. According to the testimony of

al-Biruni Abu Rayhan Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Biruni (973 – after 1050) commonly known as al-Biruni, was a Khwarazmian Iranian in scholar and polymath during the Islamic Golden Age. He has been called variously the "founder of Indology", "Father of Co ...

, in the 11th century CE there was a festival when the names of the day and the month were the same. The deity Spandarmad protected the Earth and the "good, chaste and beneficent wife who loves her husband". According to him, the festival used to be dedicated to women, and men would make them "liberal presents", and the custom was still flourishing in some districts of Fahla.

Barzegaran Festival

The jashn-e barzegarán (Festival of Agriculturists), is celebrated in Iran also on the 5th day of Spandarmad month (the Spandarmad day). People pray for good harvest, honor the deity of Earth Spandārmad, and put signs on doors to destroy evil spirits. The observation of this festival has been revived in modern Iran, where it is mostly set on the 5th day of Esfand in the Solar Hejri calendar introduced in 1925, corresponding to

24 February Events Pre-1600 * 484 – King Huneric of the Vandals replaces Nicene bishops with Arian ones, and banishes some to Corsica. *1303 – The English are defeated at the Battle of Roslin, in the First War of Scottish Independence. *1386 ...

. The modern festival is a celebration day of love towards mothers and wives.

Historical festival

Descriptions of this festival are given in medieval historiographical sources such as

Gardizi Abū Saʿīd ʿAbd-al-Ḥayy ibn Żaḥḥāk b. Maḥmūd Gardīzī ( fa, ابوسعید عبدالحی بن ضحاک بن محمود گردیزی), better known as Gardizi (), was an 11th-century Persian historian and official, who is notable for ...

Biruni Abu Rayhan Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Biruni (973 – after 1050) commonly known as al-Biruni, was a Khwarazmian Iranian in scholar and polymath during the Islamic Golden Age. He has been called variously the "founder of Indology", "Father of Co ...

and Abu al-Hasan al-Mas'udi. According to Biruni, it was a day where women rested and men had to bring them gifts. In the section about Persian calendar,

writes in ''

The Remaining Signs of Past Centuries ''The Remaining Signs of Past Centuries'' ( ar, کتاب الآثار الباقية عن القرون الخالية ', also known as ''Chronology of Ancient Nations'' or ''Vestiges of the Past'', after the translation published by Eduard Sachau ...

'' that:The Chronology Of Ancient Nations, trans.Edward Sachau. London: Elibron Classics, 2005 Furthermore,

notes that on this day, commoners ate raisins and

pomegranate The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punicoideae, that grows between tall. The pomegranate was originally described throughout the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean re ...

seeds. According to

, this celebration was special for women, and they called this day also ' (possessing of men).

Modern revival

The revival of the festival dates to the Pahlavi dynasty, advocated by Ebrahim Pourdavoud as "Nurses' Day" () in 1962. مجموعه مقالات آناهیتا (''Anahita'' Proceedings), Tehran University Publications, 1962 (1342), p 165. The date of the modern festival is on the 5th of Esfand in the Iranian calendar (24 February) due to the reorganization of the calendar, once by

Omar Khayyam Ghiyāth al-Dīn Abū al-Fatḥ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm Nīsābūrī (18 May 1048 – 4 December 1131), commonly known as Omar Khayyam ( fa, عمر خیّام), was a polymath, known for his contributions to mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, an ...

in the 11th century.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sepandarmazgan

Iranian culture Festivals in Iran Persian words and phrases February observances Zoroastrian festivals Observances set by the Solar Hijri calendar Winter events in Iran Days celebrating love

Barzegaran Festival

Historical festival

Modern revival

See also

Notes