thoupingmyip

In Iranian tradition, Amu Nowruz- much like his Christian counterpart Santa Claus- appears every year at the start of Spring along with his companion Haji Firuz. Their appearance marks the beginning of Nowruz, the New Year. However, nowadays Haji Firuz seems to be the center of attention more!

Haji Firooz, the comical figure, is one of the characters who oversees the new year’s festivities.The traditional story is said to trace back to the characters watching over the eternal flame of the ancient Zoroastrians. Haji Firooz can be thought of as a mash-up between the West’s Santa Claus and Father Time characters.

Hajji Firuz (Persian: حاجی فیروز‎ – Hāji Firuz) A NON-BLACK CHARACTER IN Iranian Tradition WHO APPEARS AND PERFORMS IN THE STREETS BY THE BEGINNING OF EVERY NEW YEAR; DANCING AND SINGING USING A TAMBOURINE IN BLACKFACE, AS FORM OF THEATRICAL MAKE-UP! WHILE WE SHOULD ACCEPT THE RITUAL AS AN IRANIAN FOLKLORE, WE MUST STRONGLY DISAPPROVE THE COLORING OF THE FACE IN BLACK! IT IS DEMEANING AND MORTIFYING. IT DEPICTS RACISM, AND MUST NOT BE SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE!!