Hajji Firuz

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Hajji Firuz in Mellat Park 2007

Hajji Firuz ( Persian هاجی فیروز Hādschi Firuz , DMG Hāği Firūz , tooحاجی فیروز Hadschi Firouz , DMG Ḥāğ (ğ) i Firūz ) or Chadscheh Piruz (خواجه پیروز) is a figure of Iranian folk culture who appears on the streets at the beginning of the Iranian New Year festival Nouruz . The man's face is blackened with soot, he is wearing bright red clothes and a felt hat. He dances in the streets, sings and plays on his tambourine ( dāyera zangī ). Hajji Firuz is the companion of Amu Nouruz .

etymology

The origin and meaning of the name Haji Firuz are in the dark. However, it certainly comes from the time after the Arab conquest of Iran, after which many Iranian words and names were Arabicized.

Hajji , which is written with the 8th letter of the Persian alphabet (حاجى), has a meaning unrelated to the word hādji ; It is a form of address similar to the German form of address Mr. Written with the penultimate letter of the alphabet (هاجی) it comes from the word heja (هجاء), which means satire . Firuz is the Arabic form of the Persian word piruz for “winner” (there is no p in Arabic ).

Chadscheh Piruz is an alternative form that consists of the Persian words chajeh , a title that means master, and piruz ("winner").

origin

The age of the tradition is unclear. Speculations range from a cultic origin in Mesopotamia to a much more recent association with black African slaves who performed as entertainers. In the traditional songs he introduces himself as a serf trying to amuse other people whom he addresses as his masters. Because of his black skin color - if the latter origin is assumed - the figure is controversial because of possible racism. As a result, sometimes the face is only half blackened today.

According to some sources, Hajji Firuz is attributed to Mir Nowruz. Mir Nowruz was a strange character whose job it was to take over the administration of the city for the last five days of the year. This five-day king roamed the city with a group of dancers and singers to celebrate the New Year.

Mehrdad Bahar showed that the figure of Haji Firuz can be derived from celebrations and legends in the epic of Prince Siyawasch , who in turn is related to the Mesopotamian deity Tammuz , the deity of agriculture and herds (Sumerian Dumuzi ). The black face of Hajji Firuz symbolizes his return from the world of the dead , his red clothing is the symbol of the blood of Siyawasch and the resurrection of the sacrificed deity. His cheerfulness serves to celebrate the rebirth. Bahar believed that the name Siyāwaxš means "black" or "black-faced man". The term “black” could refer to the black face-painting of the participants in the Mesopotamian ceremonies or to the black masks that were put on for the celebrations. According to another view, Hajji Firuz dates back to a New Year festival in Sassanid times, when brightly dressed black slaves sang and danced songs for entertainment.

Characteristic songs

Hajji Firuz on Chalus Street
Hāji Firouz E!

Hāji 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 it, I know it too)
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” (my lord, lilac zei with you, corruption of the greeting Salam aleikum)
Arbāb e xod am, sar et-o bālā kon (my lord,
raise your head) Arbāb e xod am, lotf- i be mā kon (my lord, do me a favor)
Arbāb e xod am, be man nigā kon (my lord, look at me)
Arbāb e xod am, boz-boz e qandi (my lord, a little goat)
Arbāb e xod am, čerā nemi-xandi? (Sir, why don't you laugh?)

Beškan Beškan

Beškan beškan e, beškan! (Snap [your fingers], snap, snap!)
Man nemi-škanam, beškan! (I don't snap, snap!)
Injā beškanam, yār gel dāre (If I snap here, this one will be angry)
Unjā beškanam, yār gel dāre (If I snap there, he will be angry)
In siāh e bičāre če qad howsele dāre! (How much patience this black and poor man has!)

gallery

  • Hajji Firuz as decoration of the Haft-Sin table

See also

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Noruz. traditionscustoms.com.
  2. ^ John Richardsohn, Charles Wilkens: A Vocabulary, Persian, Arabic, and English: Abridged from the Quarto Edition of Richardson's Dictionary . F. and C. Rivingson, London 1810, p. 626 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  3. ^ Margo De Mello : Faces Around the World: A Cultural Encyclopedia of the Human Face . ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, Ca 2012, ISBN 978-1-59884-617-1 , pp. 28 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  4. ↑ Compare Mahmoud Roh-ol-Amini's research on the basis of the writings of Allamah Mohammad Ghazvinis on Mir-Norouzi .
  5. ↑ Mahmud Omidzalar: Hajji Firuz. In: Encyclopedia Iranica.