History and Culture

The mythical flag of Kaveh (a Blacksmith) was a symbol of Iran in ancient times, from the Pishdadian and Kianian eras to the end of the Sasanian Empire. According to Ferdowsi's Shahnameh, this flag emerged when Kaveh the Blacksmith stood up against the tyrant Zahhak and the reign of Feridoun began. The Kavian flag had hanging ribbons in red, yellow, blue, and purple colors, with a star (planet) shape in the middle. That's why it's also known in some sources as the Kavian Star.

Sadeh is one of the Iranian celebrations held at the beginning of the evening on the 10th of the Bahman month. This celebration has a history of thousands of years and is considered one of the oldest Iranian celebrations (even older than Nowruz). Sadeh is celebrated as the discovery of fire. According to Ferdowsi's Shahnameh by the way Ferdosi is an Iranian poet and Shahname is his poetry book, he said the origin of this celebration dates back to the time of Houshang Shah, the second king of the Pishdadian dynasty. It is said that during a hunt, Houshang Shah, upon seeing a long black snake, threw a stone towards it, and when the stone collided with another stone, a spark was formed, igniting a dry bush where the snake was. Iranians have been safeguarding fire since that time. Among Zoroastrians, Sadeh is celebrated by lighting a fire and engaging in prayer.

The celebration of "Sepandarmazgan" is a day dedicated to honoring women, the earth, lovers, and those who are dear. It is one of the ancient festivals in Iran, celebrated on the 5th of Esfand month in the ancient Iranian calendar, which corresponds to February 19 in the current calendar. The roots of this celebration can be traced back to the Achaemenid Empire.

Xerxes the Great was a Persian ruler who held the position of the fourth King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, ruling from 486 BC until his assassination in 465 BC. He was born to Darius the Great and Atossa, who was a daughter of Cyrus the Great.

Darius the Great was a Persian ruler who served as the third King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 522 BCE until he died in 486 BCE. He ruled the empire at its territorial peak when it included much of Western Asia, parts of the Balkans (Thrace–Macedonia, and Paeonia) and the Caucasus, most of the Black Sea's coastal regions, Central Asia, the Indus Valley in the far east, and portions of North Africa and Northeast Africa including Egypt, eastern Libya, and coastal Sudan.

Cyrus the Great was the founder of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Hailing from Persis, he brought the Achaemenid dynasty to power by defeating the Median Empire and embracing all of the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East, expanding vastly and eventually conquering most of West Asia and much of Central Asia to create the world's then-largest polity.

In this episode, I talk about Yalda, which is the longest night in a year. They celebrate it in Iran so it is a Persian ceremony. This corresponds to the night of December 20/21 of the Iranian solar calendar.  Fruits and nuts are eaten and pomegranates and watermelons are particularly significant. The red color in these fruits symbolizes the crimson hues of dawn and the glow of life. 

In this episode, I am going to explain the Persian New Year, its requirements, and the activities related to the new year. Also, I compare it to Christian new year.

In this episode, I am going to talk about an old Persian symbol called "Farvahar" in English "Ormazd". This symbol is a sign of the Zoroastrian religion, and also an old Persian flag.