Sadeh have been added to the UNESCO’s list

The ancient festival of Sadeh, celebrated 50 days before the New Year (Nowruz), is one of Iran’s oldest cultural ceremonies, dating back to the Achaemenid Empire. (550-330 B.C.)

The festivity honors the sacred elements of fire, water, wind, and soil to defeat the forces of darkness, frost, and cold.

In ancient Iranian belief, the fire lit on this day symbolized the warming of the earth and its readiness for the arrival of the spring season.