Mehregan Festival, Thanksgiving, and the second great festival of the ancient Iranians will be added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Alireza Hasanzadeh, director of the Research Institute of Anthropology and coordinator of the project, said: “The Mehregan festival is the largest festival of the ancient Iranians after Nowruz, which is associated with the autumnal equinox, the convergence of night and day, and in ancient times, autumn symbolized the beginning of the new year.”
Hassanzadeh noted that the Mehregan festival will be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a joint Iranian and Tajik festival, adding, “This ritual is now being performed in rural Zoroastrian communities of Iran and the people of Tajikistan.
He views the Mehregan festival as a ritual of gratitude for God’s blessings and states: “Mehregan is a discourse that calls on humans to establish a peaceful relationship with nature and to appreciate the divine blessings that are natural riches.
This member of the faculty of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Research Institute emphasized: “Studying this tradition in Iran and Tajikistan actually shows the cultural and civilizational roots of the two countries and proves that the two lands have unbreakable roots of friendship.”
Hassanzadeh also noted, “In a situation where the world is full of environmental damage, this holiday calls on people to develop sustainably and protect nature for the future.”
According to the director of the Anthropology Research Institute, the case will be heard at the next meeting of the Intangible Heritage Registration Board, which will likely take place in the fall.
At the suggestion of the Office of Registration of Works, Preservation and Restoration of Spiritual and Natural Heritage at the Anthropology Research Institute, the Mehregan Festival case is being prepared for worldwide registration.
It should be noted that the Festival of Mehregan refers to the great angel Mehr and equates to the day of Mehr (the 16th day of the 7th month according to the Iranian calendar), which according to the current calendar corresponds to the 10th day of the month of Mehr. This auspicious and magnificent holiday and in the past had a very high status among Iranians as Nowruz, and just as Iranians celebrate Nowruz at the end of winter and beginning of spring, Mehregan was celebrated after six months and with the end of summer and beginning of winter.
Its traditions are very similar to Nowruz, and just as Nooruz is attributed to the legendary King Jamshid of Iran, Mehregan is also attributed to the conquest and victory of Fereydun, another Iranian hero over Zahak, but in general, like Izad Mehr for all Aryan tribes has a long history and is one of the oldest Aryan traditions that is celebrated by both Iranians and Hindus on the same day.
