The Night They Jump Over Fire
Chaharshanbe Suri: The 3,000-Year-Old Zoroastrian Festival of Fire, Spoon-Banging, and Pot-Smashing That Happens the Week Before Nowruz March 2026 On the last Tuesday night before the spring equinox, millions of Iranians and Persians around the world set things on fire and jump over them. They light bonfires in streets, on rooftops, in yards, on hilltops, in village squares, and in city parks.
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Chaharshanbe Suri: The 3,000-Year-Old Zoroastrian Festival of Fire, Spoon-Banging, and Pot-Smashing That Happens the Week Before Nowruz March 2026 On the last Tuesday night before the spring equinox, millions of Iranians and Persians around the world set things on fire and jump over them. They light bonfires in streets, on rooftops, in yards, on hilltops, in village squares, and in city parks. Then — children first, then everyone else — they run and leap over the flames while chanting: "Zardi-ye man az to, sorkhi-ye to az man." "My yellowness is yours. Your redness is mine." Translation: take my sickness, my pallor, my bad luck, my weakness. Give me your fire, your warmth, your health, your light. This is Chaharshanbe Suri — the Festival of Fire. It is at least 2,500 years old. It is Zoroastrian in origin.
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Gathas · Shahnameh