Many celebrations take place in the last days of the year in Iran. These celebrations are meant to welcome Nowruz, or copied from festivals of the last month of the year. The “Esbandi or Esfandi” celebration of the Kashanis is one of those ancient ceremonies that have found similarities between it and the month of Esfand festival. Based on the local calendar, the people of Kashan believe that 25th Bahman (15th February) is in fact the 1st night of Esfand (20th Feb). They cherish this night and believe that it is at this time that a gentle breeze blows, which the Kashanis call “Esbandi wind”, the harbinger of spring. So, they have a festival which they call “the peasants’ festival” or “farming festival”.
Kashanis light up their shops for this festival and spend a happy night together. “Achar nuts”, unique to the Kashanis, are nuts roasted with salt, lemon juice and turmeric, and considered auspicious to eat them on Esbandi night.
Preparations are made to host guests; and setting the table full of food, especially smoked fish, is customary.
Milk and yogurt should also be on the table. But they don’t consider eating eggs on this night right and never do that! Why should you not eat eggs on the night of Esbandi. It is a belief that everyone abides by. On this night, the Kashani people hold the egg in their palms and say: “This is an asset in life, and it should be preserved so that we have a prosperous and successful year! The front part of the stores looks gorgeous on Esbandi night. Greengrocers mix onions and radishes with different colors and decorate their stalls this way.”
Others do whatever they can to make their store more beautiful. But the shops that sell nuts are more crowded than the other shops. On that night their business is more prosperous than ever.
Another ceremony on Esbandi night is to turn on the house lights earlier than every other night. In other words, while the day has not yet completely ended and the sun has not yet set, the Kashanis turn out the lights in their houses and take this as a sign of a bright year ahead.
They believe that on Esbandi night, the lights should be turned on early so that the hearths of the houses are brighter than any other night, and they wish in their hearts that all the days and nights of the year ahead will be full of light. Some consider the simultaneity of the Esbandi ceremony with the Sepandarmazgan festival as a sign of the impact Esfandgan has had on this Kashani festival. Just as women are given offerings as a sign of respect for them on the night of Esfandagan, Kashanis also give women offerings on the night of Esbandi to express their gratitude for their efforts and sacrifices during the year.
Another custom on this day is to prepare a large tray called “Khancheh” and take it to the house of the newly wed bride. This khancheh is filled with sweets, sweet bread, smoked fish, fruit, expensive fabrics and gold coins and carried to the bride’s house. This was a popular custom especially in the villages of Kashan, where people were eager to perform it. Esbandi is a joyous celebration and ceremony that brightens up the last days of the year and prepares the Kashani people to welcome Nowruz and the beginning of a good year.
