01/07/2025
Happy Tirgan Day
Arash the Archer is a legendary figure of Persian mythology and a symbol of hope, resilience, and self-sacrifice in the most challenging times.
According to ancient tales, during a war between Turan and Iran, the Iranians were on the brink of defeat. Seeking to humiliate them, the Turanians set a condition: an Iranian warrior must shoot an arrow from the peak of Mount Damavand, and wherever it landed would mark the new border between the two lands. Arash, an infantry soldier of Persia, stepped forward. He climbed Mount Damavand, poured his entire life force into the arrow, and let it fly. The arrow traveled an astonishing distance and, after three days and nights, finally landed on the trunk of a walnut tree, establishing the new boundary between Iran and Turan. After this heroic act, Arash vanished, never to be seen again.
In Persian culture, Tirgan Festival commemorates the sacrifice of Arash the Archer and other martyrs who gave their lives for the homeland.
One of the festival’s rituals involves tying a "Tir-o-Bâd" bracelet—woven from seven colorful threads—around the wrist on Tirgan Day (10th of Tir in the Persian calendar). On the 19th of Tir, known as "Bâd Day", the bracelet is untied and released into the wind while making a wish. This act symbolizes the flight of Arash’s arrow, carrying hopes and prayers into the world.
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