Hajji Firuz on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Hāji Firuz ('' fa, حاجی فیروز'') or Khwāje Piruz ('' fa, خواجه پیروز'') is a fictional character in
''A Vocabulary, Persian, Arabic, and English: Abridged...''
London: F. & C. Rivingson. CLC: 5631372*
Ḥāji Firuz
' article by Encyclopædia Iranica
{{Authority control Iranian folklore Nowruz Holiday characters
Hāji Firuz ('' fa, حاجی فیروز'') or Khwāje Piruz ('' fa, خواجه پیروز'') is a fictional character in Iranian folklore
Iranian folklore encompasses the folk traditions that have evolved in Greater Iran.
Oral legends
Folktales
Storytelling has an important presence in Iranian culture. In classical Iran, minstrels performed for their audiences at royal courts and ...
who appears in the streets by the beginning of Nowruz
Nowruz ( fa, نوروز, ; ), zh, 诺鲁孜节, ug, نەۋروز, ka, ნოვრუზ, ku, Newroz, he, נורוז, kk, Наурыз, ky, Нооруз, mn, Наурыз, ur, نوروز, tg, Наврӯз, tr, Nevruz, tk, Nowruz, ...
. His face is covered in soot, and he is clad in bright red clothes and a felt hat. He dances through the streets while singing and playing a tambourine.
Etymology
''Haji'', as written with the eighth letter ofPerso-Arabic alphabet
The Persian alphabet ( fa, الفبای فارسی, Alefbâye Fârsi) is a writing system that is a version of the Arabic script used for the Persian language spoken in Iran ( Western Persian) and Afghanistan (Dari Persian) since the 7th cent ...
(), has a meaning unrelated to that of the word ''Hajji
Hajji ( ar, الحجّي; sometimes spelled Hadji, Haji, Alhaji, Al-Hadj, Al-Haj or El-Hajj) is an honorific title which is given to a Muslim who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca. It is also often used to refer to an elder, since it ...
''; it is a form of address, much like using ''sir'' to address a person in English, without the person being a knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
. ''Firuz'' is the Arabized
Arabization or Arabisation ( ar, تعريب, ') describes both the process of growing Arab influence on non-Arab populations, causing a language shift by the latter's gradual adoption of the Arabic language and incorporation of Arab culture, aft ...
version of the Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
word ''piruz'', meaning 'victor'.
''Khaje Piruz'' is the other version of the term, which consists of the word '' khaje'', identified as an Iranian title meaning 'master', and the non-Arabized ''piruz''.
History
In the traditional songs, he introduces himself as aserf
Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which developed ...
trying to cheer people whom he refers to as his lords.
The exact history of Hajji Firuz is unknown. According to some sources, Hajji Firuz is based on a tradition called ''Mir Nowruzi''. Mir Nowruz was a comical figure chosen to rule the municipality for "the last five days of the year" (''Panje''). The temporary "five-day king" (''Šāh e Panj Ruze'') would often parade the city with a group of singers and dancers for the Nowruz celebrations.
Mehrdad Bahar, a prominent Persian historian, opined in 1983 that the figure of Hajji Firuz may be derived from ceremonies and legends connected to the epic of Prince Siavash Siyâvash ( fa, سیاوش) or Siavash ( fa, سياووش) is an Iranian legendary prince, a major figure in Ferdowsi's epic, the ''Shahnameh''.
Siyâvash or various other transliterations from Persian/Farsi/Azerbaijani languages may also refer to ...
, which are in turn derived from those associated with the Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the F ...
n deity of agriculture and flocks, Tammuz
Dumuzid or Tammuz ( sux, , ''Dumuzid''; akk, Duʾūzu, Dûzu; he, תַּמּוּז, Tammûz),; ar, تمّوز ' known to the Sumerians as Dumuzid the Shepherd ( sux, , ''Dumuzid sipad''), is an ancient Mesopotamian god associated with shep ...
(Sumerian ''Dumuzi''). Later, it was claimed that the blackened face of Hajji Firuz symbolizes his returning from the world of the dead, his red clothing is the sign of the blood of Siavash and the coming to life of the sacrificed deity, while his joviality is the jubilation of rebirth, typical of those who bring rejuvenation and blessing along with themselves. Bahar speculates that the name ''Siyāwaxš'' might mean 'black man' or 'dark-faced man' and suggests that the term ''black'' in the name may be a reference either to the blackening of the faces of the participants in the aforementioned Mesopotamian ceremonies, or to the black masks that they wore for the festivities.
Typical songs
Hājji Firouz E!
Arbāb e Xod am
Beškan Beškan
See also
* * * * * *References
Bibliography
* Richardson, John. Wilkens, Charles, ed. (1810)''A Vocabulary, Persian, Arabic, and English: Abridged...''
London: F. & C. Rivingson. CLC: 5631372*
External links
*Ḥāji Firuz
' article by Encyclopædia Iranica
{{Authority control Iranian folklore Nowruz Holiday characters