Tirgan festival; an arrow from Damavand peak that saved Iran!

In ancient Iran, traditional festivals have always of special importance. Also, all festivals have specific history and purpose, so they are still popular. One of the most famous ancient festivals of Iran is Tirgan. This festival lasted 9 days in ancient Iran.

In this article, IRMTravel wants to introduce the festival and describe why it's important for Iranian.

The origin of the Tirgan festival

In the beliefs of the people of ancient Iran, there are two narratives about the reason for this festival:

First, according to the ancients, on this day, "Tishter"; the God and guardian of rainfall, fights against the "Apaosha"; demon of drought. With the help of Ahura; God in ancient, Tishter finally wins, so the people celebrated the anniversary of this victory every year.  The second belief is related to the story of Arash Kamangir and his arrow shooting. In the battle between Afrasiab; king of Turan, and Manouchehr; king of Iran, which lasted for many years. The king of Iran was defeated in July, and in the fierce battle in Mazandaran, the two armies decided to make peace and compromise. It is assumed that to determine the border between the two countries, an arrow will be dropped from Mazandaran towards Khorasan and the place of its landing will determine the location of the border between two countries. By the order of Sepandarmaz (Goddess of the Earth), this arrow is thrown from the top of Damavand Mountain by Arash Kamangir, a famous Iranian hero, and he falls to the ground lifeless.  In holding this ancient ceremony, special rituals were performed, such as sprinkling, pottery, bow and arrow bracelets, and eating cooked fruits and wheat.

In this festival, people sprinkle water on each other, wishing for rain and avoiding drought. Another ritual performed at this festival was pottery. Another ritual was the bow and arrow bracelet in which people at the beginning of the festival. Eating cooked fruits and wheat is another ritual of this Tirgan. 

Tirgan festival is held in which cities?

Tirgan festival is too popular among people from different parts of Iran. You can find this festival among some people in the following order:

1-People of Mazandaran (people of Firoozkooh, Sari, Sangsar and Savadkuh) on the 13th of July

2-The people of Karizat (a section 120 km from Yazd), which is held on the 1st of July

3-Armenians of Isfahan and some parts of the world on 13th of January

4-Zoroastrians of Kerman, who call it Tir and Jashn in the second decade of July

Tirgan festival is one of the most important ones of ancient Iran along with Nowruz, Mehregan. 

In recent years, "Tirgan" has been registered in the list of national monuments as one of the country's spiritual heritage.