Persian Language Sustainment Resources

Gheime, A tasty Persian food, served with salad shirazi and doogh (irandoostan.com)

Iran and other Persian speaking countries around are home to some of the world’s richest cuisines, which reflect the diverse cultures of the region.

• Ariana Bundy: Ariana Bundy takes you step-by-step through some of the most delicious Iranian dishes on her YouTube channel.
• Navab Ebrahimi: Navab teaches you how to make authentic and local Iranian food.
• Zahra: Try Zahra’s unique recipes as you enjoy her culinary journey of traditional and modern interpretations of Middle Eastern cuisine
• Persian mama: Homa shares with you the Persian recipes that have been in her family for generations.
• Family spice: Easy and delicious Persian and campfire recipes inspired from around the world.
• The Persian Kitchen: An Iranian food blog.
• Fig and Quince: Recipes and all the tools and tricks of Iranian cooking.
• Turmeric Saffron: Azita shares traditional recipes that she has learned from her late mother with a lot of love and care.

Seared kebabs, plush flatbreads, aromatic pilafs, and ghorme-sabzi (la.eater.com)

Persian literature is one of the world’s oldest literatures and a jewel in the crown of Persian culture. Persian literature profoundly influenced the literatures of Ottoman Turkey, Muslim India and Turkic Central Asia and was a source of inspiration for Goethe, Emerson, Matthew Arnold and Jorge Luis Borges among others.

Learn More about Persian literature:

• Ganjoor: Online collection of poems by Persian-speaking poets. You can search by poet or poem and find their various readings of poems.
• Rare literary materials: Collection of rare Persian language manuscripts, lithographic books and early imprints, as well as printed books.
• Persian periodicals: Rare old article and newspapers.
• Mix of art and poetry: Let’s explore paintings from an illustrated manuscript of the Shahnameh — or ‘Book of Kings’ composed by the national epic of Iran, Firdawsi around 1010.
• Proverbs: A list of some common proverbs.
• Persian Literature: Michigan State University Library, with available books to read.

Persian handicrafts

Persian arts or Iranian arts have a long history dating back many centuries as one of the richest art heritages in world history. From architecture to weaving to painting to calligraphy to pottery to metalworking to stonemasonry to sculpture, Arts of Iran  encompasses many different forms.

You can learn more about art and history of Iran by reading:

• هنرایرانی: A brief introduction of ّIranian arts and handicrafts.
• Handicrafts of Iran: Learn more about Iran’s handicarfts.
• Iranian handicrafts: Watch some of the Iranian handicrafts and cultural elements.
• کجارو: Find out more about Iranian architecture.
• Calligraphy: Take a look at different styles of calligraphy in the Arab, Ottoman, and Persian traditions.
• قالی بافی: Learn about the history and methods of carpet weaving
• Pottery making: Watch the traditional process of pottery making from scratch.
• قلم زنی: Learn more about this beautiful artwork and how it is made.

Learn about Iranian celebrations and festivities:

Norooz celebration-Haft Sin (سفره هفت سبن)

• Norooz or Nowruz (نوروز):  Norooz meaning ‘New Day’ is a festival which dates back 3000 years to when King Jamshed called astrologers and declared that 21st March, the day that the sun leaves Pisces, the twelfth sign of the zodiac and enters into Aries, the very first zodiac sign would be the day when his kingdom would celebrate ‘New Year’. It has been celebrated with pomp and fervor ever since. Learn more about Norooz here.

Fire jumping in Chaharshanbe Souri

• Chaharshanbe Souri (چهارشنبه سوری): If Norooz is the Persian equivalent of Easter, Chaharshanbeh Souri, in many ways is the equivalent of Halloween. The event is celebrated on the eve of Navroz. Chahar-Shanbeh means Wednesday and Souri means both ‘Red’ and ‘Celebration’. In this “red celebration” which takes place on the last Wednesday of the solar calendar, people go out and make bush fires and keep them burning till the next morning. This is symbolic of burning all that was bad…pain, unhappiness, sickness and worry and looking forward to a new beginning. Learn more about Chaharshanbeh here.

Arash kamangir

• Tirgan Festival (تیرگان): Tirgan is celebrated by people in the Mazandaran province on the evening of the twelfth day of the fourth month of their own calendar. Tirgan is a celebration born out of the legend of Arash, the legendary bowman who shot an arrow to indicate the borderline between Iran and Turan but died soon after, drained of all his energy. People come together to eat traditional Iranian food, drink lots of sherbets and tea and participate in drama, reciting poetry and singing

Mehrgan

• Mehrgan Celebration (مهرگان): Mehr is the name of the Sun Goddess and the seventh month of the Iranian calendar. Mehrgan is a Zoroastrian and Iranian festival celebrated to honor the yazata Mithra (Persian: Mehr), which is responsible for friendship, affection and love. “Mehregan” is derived from the Middle Persian name Mihrakān/Mihragān, itself derived from Old Persian Mithrakāna

ِYalda celebration

• Yalda (Chelleh) (شب یلدا): Yalda is an ancient festival in Iran, Iraqi Kurdistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan and Turkey celebrated on the winter solstice. Yalda celebrates the longest night of the year, at the end of which light triumphs over darkness. The following day is the day of harvest and the beginning of the rest period, a time for family to converge at the home of oldest family members and indulge in a spread of Iranian food, summer fruits and an array of nuts while reciting poetry and catching up with what is happening in each other’s lives.

Sadeh Festival

• Sadeh Festival (جشن سده): Sadeh meaning “emergence” is a non-religious celebration observed by people of all faiths and is celebrated on the 10th day of Bahman. People set up huge bonfires outside cities and eat special soup (aash), fruits and nuts.

Learn about the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Persian as well as it’s Persian cultural events.

• دانشگاه ویسکانسین مدیسون: Learn about the University of Wisconsin Madison in Farsi.
• Persian Student Society (PSS): If you are in Madison, make sure to join PSS and attend their gatherings and cultural events they organize on and off campus.