Shahriar Kia
Family Security Matters, March 13, 2010

The Iranian calendar starts on March 21st. The last Wednesday eve of the year – known as the Feast of Fire, “Chahar-shanbeh soori” in Farsi – is celebrated. These festivities are not just held in Iran but all over the world, from Caucasian countries to Central Asia. Iranians residing in European countries and the U.S., who emigrated after the rise of terrorist clerical dictatorship in Iran in 1979, continue to celebrate these traditions in their societies. The history of these festivities dates back thousands of years. The most beautiful and maybe oldest known Feast of Fire is lighting camp fires, jumping over them and celebrating next to the fire to distance any traces of malice from oneself and embracing the beauty and purity of the world.
 
For Iranians today, lighting these fires means keeping alive the flames of resistance with the goal of establishing freedom and democracy, especially after the start of mullahs’ dictatorship ruling in Iran and the events of recent years. These celebrations have evolved into a national day of all-out nationwide protests against the regime. Over the last 10 years, the mullahs have exhausted all efforts by arresting and suppressing the celebrants and protesting youth in an attempt to prevent the festivities from forming into a massive uprising, although they have failed in the process.
 
After the sham presidential elections in Iran last year, we have been witnessing a growing uprising by the people against the mullahs. Due to the regime’s suppressive acts and heavy economic pressures, the people have reached boiling point and families are literally on the brink of tearing apart. Tehran’s Prosecutor General has said: “At the beginning, a few disguised behind talks of elections, and the extent of protests at the beginning was calm. However, little by little we neared the end of the year where the extent of protests grew and deceitful slogans were heard, the climax of it all being on Ashurra. (Rituals commemorating the anniversary of the Prophet Mohammad’s grandson’s murder around 1,400 years ago) On that day, Islamism and republicanism of the establishment were threatened; due to the fact that these people began their protest under the name of republicanism, then headed towards overthrowing the establishment.” (State-run Economic World Daily, March 1st, 2010)
 
On the eve of the upcoming Feast of Fire festivities, Tehran’s Fire Dept. chief requested that trash bins be emptied two or three times daily by the municipality to prevent protesters from burning them. He has also insisted all trash bins be gathered up at 5 pm, the time when festivities begin, claiming that these bins “are the first targets of attacks.” (Government-run ILNA News Agency, March 2nd, 2010)
 
Morteza Talaii Padari, a member of Tehran’s Islamic Council, told the Fars News Agency: “Regarding this issue, we are facing vandalism. Unfortunately, in recent years, these rituals have altered and have become a challenge.” He says the crime of anyone who procures these festivities “is equivalent to distributing narcotics and heroine and these people should be punished on site.”
 
This year, officials have been collecting inflammable materials. The amount of the raw material and explosives found this year is quite alarming. Deputy of Social Affairs in Tehran Province Social Security Force (SSF) announced finding over 422,500 kilograms of raw material needed to assemble homemade firecrackers across the province alone (government-run Mehr News Agency, February 28th, 2010) and Lieutenant General Mohammad Ali Nosraty, commander of East Azerbaijan SSF said, “This amount of firecrackers found, in comparison to the amount found in a similar period last year, shows a 396% rise.” (State-run Mehr, March 3rd, 2010). The amount found is in fact, according to the regime’s officials themselves, only a small percentage of the actual material at large.
 
In spite of all of the mullahs’ plans to prevent the expansion of the Feast of Fire festivities on the eve of March 17th, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, with slogans of “Death to the velayat faqieh principle” and “Death to Dictator” and “Down with Khamenei,” has called for a most extensive Feast of Fire festivities, commemorating this day as a national day for Iranians. During the past nine months, the foundations of the clerical regime have trembled due to the Iranian people’s uprising for freedom. The bravery and courageousness of the youth and especially Iranian women have attracted more attention each time compared to previous acts of protests and is continuously expanding. As Velayat-e Faqih, Khamenei’s power and influence has literally fallen apart and the rift at the top of the rule has deepened. Internal crisis and the people’s expanding uprising are cornering the mullahs’ dictatorship from every angle. Suppression, arbitrary arrests, sham trials of protesters, intimidation and threats of executions have not suppressed the people’s will and their uprising.
 
According to information received from inside Iran, the people and the youth are preparing for this year’s Feast of Fire festivities. Now, more than ever, it has become undeniably clear that the Iranian people demand the overthrow of this regime and until that goal is achieved, there will be no cessation of activities to that end.