Syrian Wednesday rituals
lighting a fire
The element of fire is the fundamental element of the celebration of Charanbash Suri. In different regions of Iran, on the night of Wednesday night, they sometimes prepare three piles of fire (as a symbol of the three great advices of ancient Iranians: good thoughts, good deeds, and good speech) or seven piles of fire (as a symbol of the seven Amshaspandans).
spooning
In this custom, young boys and girls put a veil over their heads so as not to be recognized and go to their friends’ and neighbors’ houses. The owner of the house comes to the door of the house from the sound of spoons hitting the bowls and pours Chaharbansuri nuts, sweets, chocolates, money and money into their bowls. The ritual of spooning probably originates from the belief that the good spirits of the deceased return to the living in the resurrection at the end of the year and visit the homes of the survivors in the form of people who have covered their faces, and the living give them a gift for remembrance and blessing. It is stated in the Avesta The last five days of the year until the fifth day of Farvardin Ormuzd empties the hell and the souls are released. Spooning is the use of body language by spirits instead of spoken language.
Asking for the ball of pearls
Pearl cannon, a large military cannon located in the old Tehran citadel square, in front of the old naqarekhane. The reason for the name of this ball is not known, but some have mentioned the reason for the name being a few strings of pearls that were hanging from the mouth of the ball. The inscription on the ball mentions the name of its maker Ismail Esfahani and the year of its construction in 1233 (by the order of Fath Ali Shah Qajar (reign: 1212-1250). This ball is now located in front of building number seven of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Former Officers’ Club).
This ball has been important in popular culture in such a way that during the Qajar period many superstitions were formed around it and people resorted to it to get their needs. The spread of superstitions like this had caused some women and girls to gather around it for the purpose of telling stories and fortune-telling and get involved in it, especially on the twenty-seventh night of Ramadan and the nights of Qadr. On the night of Charbansad Suri, women and girls would give money, sweets and sugar to the ball guards so that they would be free to perform their ceremony. Sadegh Hedayat wrote the book Marwari Ball in criticism of the common superstitions among the people about this ball, considering the political and social situation of that period. .
Divination and untying
One of the customs of Chaharbansuri is in which young girls make intentions, stand behind a wall and listen to the words of passers-by, and then get the answer to their intentions by interpreting these words.
Nuts that solve problems
In the past, after the end of the bonfire, family members and relatives would gather and put the last vegetable seeds such as: watermelon seeds, pumpkin seeds, pistachios, hazelnuts, almonds, peas, melon seeds, wheat and hemp, which remained from the winter storage, on the fire. They roasted and blessed with salt and ate. They believed that anyone who eats this potion will be kinder to other people and hatred and jealousy will be removed from him. Today, the term “getting salted” and eating someone’s bread and salt and betraying him has originated from this belief.