In the days before Nowruz, the streets of Iranian cities fill with music. A figure in a bright red outfit and a tall red hat dances through the crowd, shaking a tambourine and singing. This is Haji Firuz, the joyful herald of the New Year.
Who is Haji Firuz?
Haji Firuz is a character from Persian folk tradition who announces that spring is on its way. Like a town crier for Nowruz, he goes from street to street, makes people laugh, and collects small coins and sweets. Children usually love him: he is loud, funny and full of energy.
In some tellings he is Amu Nowruz’s helper: he arrives first with the good news, and Amu Nowruz follows with spring itself.
His song
His best-known song begins: “Haji Firuz-e, sali ye ruz-e”, which means “It’s Haji Firuz, he comes just one day a year.” Children pick it up quickly, and it is a fun way to practise the rhythm and sounds of Persian.
A note on his painted face
Traditionally, Haji Firuz was played with a face blackened with soot. Its origins are debated: some link it to old fire rituals of the season, while others connect it to the history of enslaved people in the region.
Outside Iran, and more and more inside it, many families and community events now present Haji Firuz without the black face paint: with rosy cheeks, a red mask, or simply his red clothes and hat. For children growing up in North America, that is the clearest and kindest way to share him: a joyful messenger of spring, known by his red outfit, his tambourine and his song.
Bringing Haji Firuz home
- Play a recording of the Haji Firuz song and let your child keep the beat with a tambourine or a pot lid.
- Make a red paper hat together for the last week of winter.
- Learn the first two lines of the song and sing them at your Nowruz gathering.
- Look for a Nowruz event in your city. Many Persian community celebrations include music and costumes.