Sizdah Bedar (سیزده بدر), which translates as something like “Thirteen, get out” or “Thirteen passes by” is a holiday celebrated by Iranians on the thirteenth day after Nowruz, which in the modern Solar Hijri calendar is the thirteenth day of the month of Farvardin. Because the exact date of Nowruz is determined by astrological observation, Sizdah Bedar may fall on either April 1st or April 2nd. Thirteen being associated with bad luck, the holiday is based on the idea of expunging as much ill fortune as possible in order to get past the thirteenth day of the year without misfortune. Customarily, observances of the holiday involve getting out of the house, and heading to the countryside to picnic and otherwise enjoy nature. The sabzeh (greens, usually sprouting grasses) that were kept on the traditional Nowruz Haft Sin table will be thrown into running water (river, stream, something) on Sizdah Bedar, the idea being that they have collected a family’s bad luck, illness, and general misfortunes for the coming year and must be thrown out to get rid of those things. Competitive games are played, bundles of grasses and/or fresh herbs may be made. Another tradition, Durugh-i Sizdah, “the lie of thirteen,” involves lying to a mark and trying to convince him or her that the lie is true; in other words, pranking them.

The origins of Sizdah Bedar are certainly pre-Islamic, similar to Hilaria in the sense that it helped to mark the passage of the seasons and the survival of another winter, and to begin the new year in happiness and good fortune through laughter. Its observance seems to have waned somewhat after the Islamic conquest of Iran in the 7th century, at least in official circles and if the observations of European travelers to Iran are assumed to be accurate. It’s once again widely celebrated today.

I found this article whilst researching April Fools day: www.museumofhoaxes and there are many other great articles that have been reported over the years!

April Fools Day is not a national holiday, but is celebrate in many countries…

Iranians play jokes on each other on the 13th day of Persian new year (Nowruz) and this falls on the 1st or 2nd of April. This day is called Sizdah Bedar has been celebrated  since 536, it is the oldest prank day in the world and it is believed that from this day April Fools Day originates.

Tradition on 1st April in France, Romandy and French-speaking Canada includes poisson d’avril (literally “April’s fish”) is to attach a paper fish to victims back without being noticed.

The Flemish tradition is for children to lock out their parents or teachers, only letting them in if they promise to bring treats the same evening or the next day.

In Scotland, April Fools’ Day is traditionally called Hunt-the-Gowk Day (“gowk” is Scots for a cuckoo or a foolish person) not a term used now. The traditional prank is to ask someone to deliver a sealed message requesting help of some sort. In fact, the message reads “Dinna laugh, dinna smile. Hunt the gowk another mile”. The recipient, upon reading it, will explain he can only help if he first contacts another person, and sends the victim to this person with an identical message, with the same result.

I also found some suggestions for your own April Fool prank, some are better than others!

• Replace the cream filling of Oreos with toothpaste, then invite your target for a snack.
• Add a few drops of food coloring to the bottom of a cereal bowl. When your target pours in milk, he’ll get a colorful surprise.
• Switch your friend’s cell phone background image to a photo of cracked glass.
• Take a screenshot of your coworker’s computer desktop, and set it as the background. Hide all of the desktop icons and watch as she struggles with the “frozen” screen.
• Post a sign on the office copy machine that says, “This copier is now voice-activated.”

Related articles

• Google Adds ‘Treasure Maps’ for April Fools’ Day (mashable.com)
• Happy April Fools Day: 2013 Edition (theobamacrat.com)
• “Poisson d’avril” or how I plan to surprise my 7th graders on April fool’s day (cecilelaine.wordpress.com)
• | Don’t be gullible – it’s April Fools’ Day! (truthaholics.wordpress.com)
• BMW April Fools Day 2013 – BMW P.R.A.M. [images] #aprilfool (nickburcher.com)
• In pictures: Jumping penguins in Antarctica (dailyrecord.co.uk)

There is nothing like the smell of “Ash” cooking.  If you have never had it before, then you must take my word for it.  Ash (pronounced “osh”) is the much beloved not-quite-soup, not-quite-stew dish that Persians go ga-ga for.  There are many different versions of Ash and do not even ask me to try and pick a favorite because that would be near impossible but what I can do is tell you about one that is definitely near the top of my list, Ash-e-Jo.  Ash-e-Jo is basically a very thick bean, barley (“jo”) and herb soup (meat is commonly added but is totally optional).  While often served as a starter for a big meal, a bowl of Ash can easily stand alone as a meal in itself.  Serve with a little lavash and you are good to go.

In an attempt to describe this soup , I would say that the flavors center mainly on the fresh herbs (including parsley and cilantro), the fried garlic and mint, the mix of legumes (including lentils, kidney and chickpeas), and last but not least, the “kashk” (a thick whey product which has a bit of a sour flavor).

Seriously, there is nothing like a warm bowl of Ash.  Ash is more often eaten during the fall and winter months, which tend to have cooler weather, but still tastes delicious any time of year.  For example, a couple of weeks ago was Sizdah-Bedar, the thirteenth day of  the Persian New Year where, traditionally, Persians go outdoors and enjoy the day with family and friends.  In the U.S., most Persians celebrate it on the second Sunday after the New Year (the New Year always coincides with the spring equinox).  This year, my family and I went to a park in Virginia filled to the brim with grills, dogs, soccer balls, food, food, more food and lots of dancing Persians. :)

Doesn't everyone picnic this way??!! :)

And the best part of that day, other than hanging out with my family in the lovely afternoon sun, having a bowl of Ash-e-Reshteh (Ash made with reshteh noodles) which had been warmed up over the fire.  Seriously, there is nothing like a bowl of Ash on a cool afternoon.  And like I mentioned above, the smell is beyond enticing (even though it is definitely not the prettiest looking dish in the world)!  :)

One thing I should mention about Ash, it is one of those things that can be easily tweaked based on taste preference.  Different regions of Iran might use different ingredients, flavors, etc. just like every Persian chef might tweak it to his or her own preference.  I share below the recipe from my mom which she says was influenced by my grandmother and by her favorite Persian cookbook, Persian Cuisine: Book One – Traditional Foods by M.R. Ghanoonparvar.

Ash-e-Jo
1 medium onion
1 15 0z can of kidney beans*
1 15 oz can of chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans)*
1/2 cup of dried lentils
1 cup of uncooked barley
6 cups of water (feel free to add more if you want to thin your soup out a bit more)
3 tsp of salt (more or less to flavor)
pepper to taste
1 TBSP of turmeric
1 large bunch of parlsey, chopped
1 large bunch of cilantro (also known as coriander), chopped
2 cups of fresh spinach leaves, chopped
Optional herbs/greens:  dill, leeks, green onions, chives (chopped)
1-2 TBSP butter or oil
2 -3 large cloves of garlic, chopped
1-2 TBSP dried mint (you can use fresh here too but you would need to use more than just 1-2 TBSP)
1 cup of kashk (you can substitute it with some sour cream or buttermilk but just add it to taste because 1 cup may be too much of either)**
1/2 lb – 1 lb of ground beef, optional (I made my soup vegetarian)

*I used canned beans because it is more convenient but feel free to use dried beans.  Just remember that if you use dried beans, you must cook them until they are nearly done before adding them to the dish.

**Kashk can be found in Persian stores or in a Middle Eastern market and can also be ordered online.

1. Chop the onions and sauté over medium heat until they become translucent.  (If you are using meat, you can add it now and cook just until browned).   Then add the lentils and sauté for about 5 -7 minutes more.

2.  Then add the water, the remaining beans, barley, chopped herbs and greens, salt, turmeric, salt and pepper.   Stir and cover.

3.  Let the soup simmer for about 40-50 minutes.  It should get pretty thick.  If all of the ingredients are cooked through, remove the soup from the heat.  If they are not cooked all the way, let the soup continue to simmer until everything is fully cooked.

4.  In a separate pan, melt the butter (or you can use oil) over med/high heat.  Add the chopped garlic and cook for about 20 seconds.  Then add the dried mint.  Cook for a few more minutes.

5. Add a majority of the dried mint and garlic mixture to the soup, reserving a small portion for the topping.  Then add the kashk (or the buttermilk or sour cream) and stir.  Note:  often times, the kashk is not added at this point but is instead served alongside the Ash so that each person can add as little or as much as they like.  I like to add mine to the pot of soup itself and then also top it off, once it is in my bowl, with a little more but it is totally up to you to determine how you want to do it.

6.  Ladle the soup into bowls and enjoy!  Note: when presenting the soup for guests, the top is almost always decorated, often with some kashk and some of that reserved fried mint and garlic mixture.

♥  ♥  ♥

Even though the day of the Holy Innocents is celebrated today by Christians, the historical fact itself has been questioned, and some recent biographers of Herod deny it entirely. But, tradition is tradition, and the show must go on. In most countries even the media plays jokes on viewers and readers, publishing absurd or ridiculous stories that day. Playing jokes and hoaxes is just too much fun and everyone has to participate.

Loyal to tradition, Sir Richard Branson played an original prank on everybody a few days ago. The world-famous tycoon and explorer announced his boldest challenge yet: Virgin Volcanic. It was an elaborate prank, because even a website was set up, which included images of the vehicle, that looked like a corkscrew, that would carry, not only Branson, but also actors Tom Hanks and Seth Green and singer Will.i.am, in a maiden voyage to the center of a live volcano. “Experts predict that one could travel from Hawaii to Naples in a couple of hours via the molten lava flows, with passengers boarding and disembarking from a network of “Earthports” close to the world’s volcanoes,” says the Virgin Volcanic website.

Accustomed to Branson’s spectacular enterprises, like Virgin Galactic, the space exploration project, and Virgin Oceanic, his ocean exploration program, a journey to the center of the Earth seemed even possible to many.

Unfortunately though, it was not more than a mischievious joke by the playful Branson. Plunging into a live volcano is something that not even Sir Richard would attempt.

If there were materials that could resist the incredibly high temperatures -more than 1,800 degrees Farenheit (1,000 Celsius)- without melting in minutes, there would still be the density of the magma to deal with and the pressure down there would make it virtually impossible to move around. And how can you navigate molten rock? How can you know where you are? How can you determine your position?

But we have to give it to Sir Richard Branson, for a brief moment there he made us dream. It became the subject of discussions. The fantasies of Jules Verne suddenly seemed at arm’s reach. It opened our minds. Which is what the Branson philosophy is all about anyway, “screw business as usual” and imagine that the impossible can be possible. Being Richard Branson, this is probably only half a joke, he may actually be serious about this and attempt it one day. But in any case, Sir Richard has shown us once again what he is a master at, getting attention. And he surely had some fun in the process.

(To read my article in PDF, go to Master Prankster)

a.k.a.

PARASKEVICEKATRIAPHOBIA

or

FRIGGATRISKAIDEKAPHOBIA

Today is 2011’s only, lonely, Friday the 13^th, a day perceived as bad luck in English, German, Polish and Portuguese-speaking cultures around the globe.*

Millions of Americans suffer from what some consider one of the most pervasive phobias—a fear of Friday the 13th, of friggatriskaidekaphobia…Do you avoid travel, business or other activities because of the fear of bad luck on Friday the 13th?*****

~~~~~~~~~~~~

     It isn’t the day that is to be feared, but the number: thirteen: triskaidekaphobia,** a derived from the Greek language:

• tris meaning three
• kai meaning and
• deka meaning ten
• phobia meaning fear, or morbid fear****

     Friday the thirteenth is a specialized form of triskaidekaphobia:* paraskevicekatriaphobia, a word also derived from the Greek:

• Παρασκευή—Friday
• Δεκατρε—thirteen
• Φοβία—phobia

       Paraskevicekatriaphobia is also known as friggatriskaidekaphobia.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

     Fear of day thirteen occurs on different weekdays in other cultures. In Greece and Spain, the unlucky number day is Tuesday the thirteenth. In Russia it’s Monday the thirteenth:*

There are numerous explanations of why the fear of the number thirteen developed:

• The Vikings believed that Loki, the thirteenth God, engineered the murder of Balder, and was the thirteenth guest to arrive at the funeral. This is perhaps related to the superstition that if 13 people gather, one of them will die in the following year.
• Ancient Persians believed the twelve Zodiac constellations controlled the months of the year, and each ruled the earth for a thousand years at the end of which the sky and earth collapsed in chaos. Therefore, the number is identified with chaos. The Persians leave their houses to avoid bad luck on the thirteenth day of the Persian Calendar, a tradition called Sizdah Bedar.
• It was Friday 13, October 1307, when the Knights Templar were ordered to be arrested by Philip IV of France. The theory has been suggested, in the book Born in Blood: The Lost Secrets of Freemasonry by John J. Robinson, that the Templars went underground among masons in England and later developed into Freemasons. Because most of the founding fathers of the United States of America were Freemasons, it is possible the memory of the terror of that day is preserved in the Friday the 13^th.****

     For those persons who want reasons to increase their phobias, two other numbers are also to be feared:

• Tetraphobia—the fear of number four—exists in many East-Asian and some Southeast-Asian countries, including Korea, China and Japan. This originates from the Chinese, whose pronunciation of the word four is similar to the word death.
• Seventeen is considered unlucky in Italy: the Roman digit for seventeen is XVII, letters that can be transposed to VIXI—which, in Latin, means I have lived, but can be a euphemism for I am dead.****  

~~~~~~~~~~~~

     You can relax your fears today…an expert at cornell University’s Stress Management Center and Phobia Insititute says there is no evidence or validity to superstitions and bad luck surrounding Friday the 13th.*****

SOURCES

*http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070716011415AAb1I5P  (COMMENT BY jojo)

**http://www.wordnik.com/words/friggatriskaidekaphobia

***http://templesinai-nn.org/sermons/sermon07-13-01.html

**** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triskaidekaphobia

*****Thursday’s question in the Greensburg Tribune-Review, May 13, 2011, pp A10 (readers call in to vote yes or no)

~~~~~~~~~~~~

ADDITIONAL READING:

May celebrations: Part II

BRAMBLES (Brief Rambles) 2:2008 May 5—Temporary Art, Bull-Headedness?-Arachnophobia

From the Bastille to Cinderella

www.carolyncholland.wordpress.com

www.beanerywriters.wordpress.com

Sizdah Be-dar (Persian Sizdah Bedar) is the name of a ceremony in Persian Culture. Sizdah is the Persian term for thirteen. Leaving the house on the Thirteenth Day of Farvardin (the first month of Iranian calendar), and joyfully spending the day outdoors have been a national tradition since ancient times in Iran. It should be also noted that most of the times Sizdah Bedar coincides with the first day of April, which is known as April Fools’ Day in the Western Culture.

In California, Iranian celebrated this event in a Balboa Park which located in Van Nuys. They spent their time with hanging around with their families and friends. They dance and sing with their favorite singers,too such as Andy and Michel.

Happy Nowruz to everyone in all around of the world.

He is really amazed with Andy’s songs and danced like CRAZY !!!

Here is Michel with simulate the Ebi’s voice.

APRIL 3 — TERENCE MCKENNA
Sacred substance psychonaut, shamanarchist.

APRIL 3 holidays and festivals:
* Ancient Egyptian FESTIVAL OF MIN.
* ETERNAL RICTUS DAY.
* Iran: SIZDAH-BEDAR: It is unlucky to stay indoors.

ON THIS DATE
1783 — Writer Washington Irving born, New York City.
1860 — Pony Express service begins.
1882 — Quintessential Western outlaw Jesse James shot by Robert Ford.
1924 — American actor, social dropout Marlon Brando born, Lincoln, Nebraska.
1950 — Radical educator, historian Carter G. Woodson born, Washington, DC.
1950 — Radical composer Kurt Weill dies, New York City.
1972 — Showboat politico Adam Clayton Powell dies, Harlem, New York City.
2000 — Entheogen psychonaut & futurist shaman Terence McKenna dies, Hawaii.

All info courtesy The 2009 Autonomedia Calendar of Jubilee Saints: Radical Heroes for the New Millennium by James Koehnline and the Autonomedia Collective

Today marks the thirteenth day of the new year. We did not go on a picnic but we did throw away our sprouts in a stream –or we pretended that we did. I threw the sprouts in the water in a local park, but then took them out just a few yards down the stream as I did not want to pollute the water. It was fun!

The Persian New Year holiday is officially over and as of tomorrow everyone in Iran goes back to work or school.