Shirdooshan Dibaj; A tradition in the shade of the Juniper tree

Every year, next to the 2500-year-old Juniper tree and its pleasant shade, a ceremony and celebration are held in Dibaj, which has roots of several centuries. This festival is called Shirdooshan (milking sheep).

Dibaj is one of the districts of Damghan City in Semnan province. It has good weather and many tourist places. Dibaj is a place for tourists to go and see and enjoy the heartwarming ecosystem in mountainous and desert areas. If more attention is given to the tourism sector of Dibaj, it will be a place for prosperity of tourism and the arrival of many people looking to see and know the beautiful territories of Iran.

In “Imamdar”, Dibaj, shirdooshan festival attracts people familiar with this ceremony. This festival has been held for four centuries, and the Dibajis are committed to its preservation. On the way from wintering towards summering (seasonal travel of nomads), when they take their cattle to the mountains, they stand next to the Imamdar and hold a milking festival in a one-day gathering.

Shirdooshan is held in the last days of spring.  In this festival the people of Dibaj milk the sheep and distribute the milk of the endowed sheep among the needy so they can enjoy that benevolent blessing on one day of the year. This whole ancient ceremony, as we mentioned, lasts for one day.

The Shirdooshan celebration and custom is a form of thanking God for his blessings and for not forgetting the poor and helping them. From the morning of the day of the festival, the people of Dibaj gather together with the nomads and herders in the Imamdar area, and their number increases every hour. They are looking forward to celebrating the Shirdooshan festival so that they remember their part in preserving this ancient ritual. The celebration is accompanied by other programs as well. Pleasant traditional music is played. Tug-of-war also entertains he residents, for hours.  Wood carving is another part of the entertainment for Dibaj, during the festival. In addition, local bread is baked and distributed among the residents and participants in the celebration. And the people disperse, in the hope of being present in the next year’s shirdooshan festival.

The festival of Shirdooshan Dibaj was registered nationally in 1391. The old oros (juniper) tree of this festival was registered in the national intangible heritage list, a year before that, so that it is better protected. It should be mentioned that in 1398, the festival of Shirdooshan Dibaj brought together 15 thousand of tourists from the four corners of Iran (IRNA- 1401). It is known as the most visited festival in Semnan province.

The Shirdooshan festival is also held in Ashkvar village of Ramsar city ((Rust-news – 1401).  As the month of Khordad (juniper) arrives in Ashkvar pastures and the grass gets covered by flowers, the Ashkvaris celebrate their milking festival. In this festival, cattle are milked twice after returning from grazing. This celebration is also called “Do Dooshan” in Ramsar.

Shahsheh: Another native custom in Damghan

Another ancient customs in damghan is called “Shasheh”. This gathering is an offering to rain and wishing the clouds to pour, accompanied5t by the cooking of a stew made of raw apricots, which Damghani’s call Zengelacho. Shasheh is a festival for farmers and orchard owners. Based on a long-standing belief, they look forward to rain at the beginning of the year. The people of Damghan believe that the cold of winter in Damghan will continue for this reason they do not remove the heater from their room so that they are not surprised by the cold and continuous rains in spring. It is only on the sixty-sixth day of spring that they think winter is over, and by cooking Zanglacho soup, they go to welcome the warm season of the year. This stew is distributed among the people especially those who are needy. The Damghan people believe this festival to be a symbol of abundance of products, fruit and tourism, so in this way they are preparing themselves for good days and months to come.

 

 

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February 14, 2025