Hajji Firuz

Hāji Firuz () or Khwāje Piruz () is a fictional character in Iranian folklore who appears in the streets by the beginning of Nowruz. His face is covered in soot, and he is clad in bright red clothes and a felt hat. He dances through the streets while singing and playing a tambourine.

Etymology

''Haji'', as written with the eighth letter of Perso-Arabic alphabet (), has a meaning unrelated to that of the word ''Hajji''; it is a form of address, much like using ''sir'' to address a person in English, without the person being a knight. ''Firuz'' is the Arabized version of the Persian word ''piruz'', meaning 'victor'.

''Khaje Piruz'' is the other version of the term, which consists of the word ''khaje'', identified as an Iranian title meaning 'master', and the non-Arabized ''piruz''.

In the traditional songs, he introduces himself as a serf trying to cheer people whom he refers to as his lords.

The exact history of Hajji Firuz is unknown. According to some sources, Hajji Firuz is based on a tradition called ''Mir Nowruzi''. Mir Nowruz was a comical figure chosen to rule the municipality for "the last five days of the year" (''Panje''). The temporary "five-day king" (''Šāh e Panj Ruze'') would often parade the city with a group of singers and dancers for the Nowruz celebrations.

Mehrdad Bahar, a prominent Persian historian, opined in 1983 that the figure of Hajji Firuz may be derived from ceremonies and legends connected to the epic of Prince Siavash, which are in turn derived from those associated with the Mesopotamian deity of agriculture and flocks, Tammuz (Sumerian ''Dumuzi''). Later, it was claimed that the blackened face of Hajji Firuz symbolizes his returning from the world of the dead, his red clothing is the sign of the blood of Siavash and the coming to life of the sacrificed deity, while his joviality is the jubilation of rebirth, typical of those who bring rejuvenation and blessing along with themselves. Bahar speculates that the name ''Siyāwaxš'' might mean 'black man' or 'dark-faced man' and suggests that the term ''black'' in the name may be a reference either to the blackening of the faces of the participants in the aforementioned Mesopotamian ceremonies, or to the black masks that they wore for the festivities.

Haji Firuz, siyah bazi and a practice of Iranian blackface

In the last decade, there has been increasing research challenging the myths of Haji Firuz origins and instead looking into its connection to the Indian Ocean and Persian gulf slave trade realities as well as blackface practices. Scholars such as Dr Beeta Baghoolizadeh and Parisa Vaziri, each from the point of view of their respective discipline, history, and comparative literature, connect Haji Firuz with a legacy tied to the Indian Ocean and Persian gulf slave trade as well as practices known as siyah-bazi, (meaning black play in Persian ), for blackface performance. The work of the Collective for black Iranians has also consistently produced on the harms of Haji Firuz and blackface performances, with a call to end blackface performances in the Iranian community, mostly from black Iranians. A call to end blackface in the Iranian community, the Collective for Black Iranians, https://www.collectiveforblackiranians.org/haji-firuz>

Typical songs

Hājji Firouz E!

''Hājji firuz e, sāl-i ye ruz e'' (''It’s Hajji Firuz, it’s only one day a year'')

''Hame midunan, man am midunam'' (''Everyone knows, I know as well'')

''Eyd e Nowruz e, sāl-i ye ruz e'' (''It's Nowruz, it’s only one day a year'')

Arbāb e Xod am

''Arbāb e xod am, "sāmmule baleykom"'' (''Greetings, my lord'')

''Arbāb e xod am, sar et-o bālā kon'' (''Raise your head, my lord'')

''Arbāb e xod am, lotf-i be mā kon'' (''Do me a favor, my lord'')

''Arbāb e xod am, be man nigā kon'' (''Look at me, my lord'')

''Arbāb e xod am, boz-boz e qandi'' (''My lord, the billy goat'')

''Arbāb e xod am, čerā nemi-xandi?'' (''Why don’t you smile, my lord?'')

Beškan Beškan

''Beškan beškan e, beškan!'' (''It's a snap-snap, snap!'')

''Man nemi-škanam, beškan!'' (''I won't snap, snap!'')

''Injā beškanam, yār gele dāre'' (''If I snap here, this one will complain'')

''Unjā beškanam, yār gele dāre'' (''If I snap there, that one will complain'')

''In siāh e bičāre če qad howsele dāre!'' (''How patient this poor black anis!'')

See also

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*, depicted as a young black man, sometimes impersonated by a white man in blackface
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* , depicted sometimes as a dirty charcoal maker
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References

Bibliography

* Richardson, John. Wilkens, Charles, ed. (1810)
''A Vocabulary, Persian, Arabic, and English: Abridged...''
London: F. & C. Rivingson. CLC: 5631372*

External links

*
Ḥāji Firuz
' article by Encyclopædia Iranica

{{Authority control

Iranian folklore
Nowruz
Holiday characters
Blackface theatre