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Video: When Muslims Paint Eggs: Similar Traditions From Different Cultures
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
There is a famous anecdote about a girl from Russia who, having married a Muslim, taught the whole harem to cook borscht and paint eggs on Easter. However, in most Turkic and Persian-speaking countries, the Russian beauty herself could learn this art, because the Muslim tradition of painting eggs dates back to Zoroastrianism and is about 5,000 years old. It is interesting that the rest of the customs we perform on Easter are very similar to the Muslim celebration of the spring holiday of Navruz.
Navruz is an ancient holiday of the onset of spring and the vernal equinox. The name of the celebration is translated from Persian as "new day" and symbolizes the birth of life, therefore, most of the traditions of this holiday reflect the life-giving power of nature. If in our culture many actions bear the roots of pagan beliefs, then for Muslims Zoroastrianism has become such an ancient heritage, and researchers associate some rituals with it. The parallels with Easter may not always be scientifically explained, but the obvious similarities cannot be denied.
Colored eggs
Most Europeans are sure that beautiful eggs for Easter are an exclusively Christian tradition, but this is not the case, in the countries of the East it is also customary to paint eggs on Navruz. Especially this custom has taken root in the regions where the Persian culture is strong - in Azerbaijan, Iran and Tajikistan.
In the same way, like ours, they like to use natural dyes - onion peel and beet juice. However, the main color of this holiday for Muslims is green, symbolizing life and the awakening of nature. By the way, the egg-breaking competition among different nations is also common. Whoever wins will be lucky next year.
A special meal
Easter cake, cottage cheese Easter, in some countries - baked carp, lamb or special pastries have become an integral part of the Easter holiday. For Christians, this set of dishes is prepared only once a year, and putting cake on the table at other times of the year is like decorating a Christmas tree in summer.
In Navruz, Muslims always prepare "haft sin" - "seven sin". This is a set of seven dishes, the name of which begins with the letter "sin". Usually it includes rue seeds - "sipand", an apple - "sib", black seeds - "siahdane", wild olive - "sanjid", vinegar - "sirke", garlic - "sire" and sprouted grain - "sabzi". Another set of seven items is possible, but it must necessarily contain flax and cereal seeds germinated in water, symbolizing the revitalization of nature.
Cleaning the house
In the spring, you always want to put things in order - both in business and in your living space, therefore, the pre-holiday cleaning carries a higher meaning. True, in the Christian tradition, "Maundy Thursday" does not actually mean general cleaning at all, but it is almost impossible to convince believers of this. Most likely, in this case, there was an older tradition, due to which such a substitution of concepts occurred. But, one way or another, in all Orthodox countries women are in a hurry to wash windows in the spring, wash the curtains and drain the bedding just for Easter. For Muslim housewives, Navruz serves as the same "label" for spring cleaning.
Commemoration of the dead
In the ancient Zoroastrian tradition, the spring festival was undoubtedly associated with the worship of ancestors. It was believed that 10 days before the onset of the month of Farwardin and the celebration of Navruz, the souls of deceased ancestors descended from heaven to stay with their descendants and see them. With the spread of Islam, this inner essence of the holiday was forgotten, but it is believed that the cleanliness in the house and the new clothes that all household members wear for the celebration are echoes of these very beliefs - the souls of the ancestors must make sure that everything is in order with their descendants.
In our country, going to the cemetery on Easter has become another headache for Orthodox clergy. From year to year they try to explain that the commemoration of the dead on Easter contradicts the very meaning of the holiday of the Resurrection, but for a huge number of people this tradition is no less important than the festive service.
10 Easter traditions from around the world can surprise and even puzzle. Colored eggs are far from the most surprising people have come up with.
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