Chaharshanbe Soori: Lighting the Way to a Bright New Year!

Happy Chaharshanbe Soori! The Persian Festival of Fire marks the start of the Nowruz celebrations, bringing warmth, light, and a fresh start. On this special day, usually a Tuesday or Wednesday, you might see bonfires in public spaces, alleys, in front of homes, and sometimes parks. Jumping over the flames is a symbolic act: letting go of pain, worry, unhappiness, and sickness, while welcoming health, light, and joy.

Children join in the celebration by singing traditional songs:

• “Zardi-ye man az to, Sorkhi-ye to az man!” Fire, take all your sickness away! Fire, give us your health and wealth!

• “Sorkhi-e toe az man, zardi-e man az toe!” Give me your vibrant red color and take my pale yellow color away!

At our celebration, we first explored the tradition through reading the book Chaharshanbe Suri at Kian's: In English & Farsi Paperback by @anahitatamaddon where eight year old Kian, feeling down after a rough day, rediscovers hope, courage, and the joy of family and tradition while celebrating the magical Persian festival of Chaharshanbe Suri. After reading the book, we placed our Guide Craft natural wooden blocks & @grimmswoodentoys wooden fire nesting blocks, and they each jumped over fires! Each jump was a joyful leap into new beginnings.