.: P E R S I A N S C A F E :.

I think it is so interesting that the Iranian wedding ceremony goes back to the ancient Zoroastrian tradition & even though Islamic traditions have had their share of influence, the actual ceremonies have remained more or less the same. The same is true about the Persian New Year and all the rituals around it. It is obvious that Persians have tried hard to keep those traditions -after the Arab invasion & the introduction of Islam.

I found the following site to be very interesting. I like it a lot since I do not know much about Persian weddings. Maybe it is most helpful for the Persians living abroad.
http://www.iranchamber.com/culture/arti ... remony.php
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olK6ak5S8xQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLEXOa-x ... re=related

Brilliant links Gloria.

Yes I have studied the Persian culture for about 2 years now [ Not professionaly, although I would like to ] and found that the Persians have kept their traditions even when invaders tried to influence and in some cases destroy it! The Arabs have had the most influence on the Persian culture, probably because they were Savage barbaria... I mean, Not very nice people and probably threatend anyone that didnt follow them. Ahh, But the great comeback of the Persians is always good Not even the Arabs could completely wipe the tradition off.

Good times.

Artemis: Thanks a lot for your input. Yes, Persian culture and history is so rich that one can spend years on studying it. It would be interesting to track back all the current celebrations to their true roots. I have read a few books on the years after the Arab invasion & I have always been in awe how much Persians tried to separate themselves from Arabs & keep their own identity. If I am not mistaken, even after the islamic revolution there were a few attempts to downgrade the Persian New Year but people resisted as Iranian New Year, is certainly part of Persian identity. Interstingly most go back to Zorastrians. As I said I am no expert but if I come up with interesting information I will post it on the forum.

haha great links, thanks.
yes that's true Artemis. Iranians made their own version of everything Arabs brought here by force, adding Iranian traditions as much as possible. that's why Arabs don't accept Iranian Islam and are scared of Shia, Sufis etc. I don't agree to any of these but that's what has happened.

@ Morteza: LOL...that is so true. In fact, the Shia/Sunni thingy goes back to the same issue. It was to separate Persians from Arabs...This history is so interesting becasue it is an ongoing issue- regardless of how old it really is. Just look at the power struggle in Iraq.