Tirgan is an ancient Iranian tradition which is still celebrated in various regions of Iran, including Mazenderan, Khorasan, and Arak. It is widely attested by historians such as Gardezi, Biruni, and Masudi, as well as European travelers during the Safavid era. The celebration is dedicated to Tishtrya, an archangel who appeared in the sky to generate thunder and lightning for much needed rain. Legend says that Arash the Archer was a man chosen to settle a land dispute between the leaders of the lands Iran and Turan.
Arash was to loose his arrow, on the 13th day of Tir, and where the arrow landed, would lie the border between the two kingdoms. Turan had suffered from the lack of rain, and Iran rejoiced at the settlement of the borders, then rain poured onto the two countries and there was peace between them. It is stated in Biruni's chronology that "by the order of God, the wind bore the arrow away from the mountains of Amol and brought the utmost frontier of Khorasan between Fergana and Tapuria." Gardizi has given a similar description, although he notes that "the arrow of Arash fell in the area between Fargana and Bactria."
Life is all about happiness and as human beings, social interaction with our fellow beings not only brings happiness but helps us grow our capacity to learn languages, familiarise ourselves with cultures, inquire, think, play and work. We are dependent on social heritage, which is a mixture of customs, traditions, moral values, attitudes, festivals, folklore, beliefs and ideals not only makes us who we are but binds us to pass it on from one generation to another.
Festivals have both social and economic angles. In the chaotic and stressful planet we inhabit, happiness is overshadowed by negativity and insecurity and so the need for something that could bring positivity has been felt time and again. Thus, festivals that give us the opportunity to forget all our worries and celebrate the positive side of life, even if it is for a few days, came into existence. Festivals act like stress relievers and help us balance our emotions.
How do we understand, document and assess, festivals in a way that takes into account their symbolic significance, their intangible impacts and legacies? How do we define joy and our human need for it? Why do we need collective experiences? Why does ‘time’, ‘place’ and ‘space’ matter when engaging with culture and the arts?
More positivity naturally lowers negativity. It also provides an opportunity to reduce friction and brings estranged friends and relatives together in a bond of love. Nothing brings people together like festivals do. They play a pivotal role in nation-building; bringing people from every religious, economic and social background together. If we look at the fascinating journey of human evolution, we understand that human beings do not invent or create something unless it is required.
There is no written history to explain when festival celebrations started but in ancient Greece and Rome, festivals linked with religion, social organisation and political processes were celebrated. Agriculture, in addition to religion and folklore, has significantly contributed to the tradition of festivals. Many festivals across the planet are associated with the time of harvest. Religious festivals like Christmas, Rosh Hashanah, Diwali, and Eid have gathered cultural significance over the centuries.
We are social animals and we need opportunities for collective celebration. Festivals and major cultural events offer such a platform. The choices available to experience culture keep expanding, and there is much to be praised about the new digital opportunities, and the benefit of exploring hybrid models for engagement. Regardless, physical experiences matter, connecting with the places we live makes a difference to our wellbeing, and experiencing joy simultaneously with others makes us happier and more resilient as communities.
Events of historical significance, such as important military victories or other nation-building events also provide the impetus for festivals. An early example is the festival established by the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Rameses III to celebrate his victory over the Libyans. Festivals contribute immensely to feelings of social cohesion. Many such celebrations focus on cultural or ethnic topics and seek to inform community members of their traditions. They involve community elders sharing stories and experiences; setting templates for maintaining unity among families.
Festivals also stimulate economic activities since they provide employment opportunities to people. When Basant was banned in 2005, around 150,000 people in Lahore and 180,000 people in Gujranwala and Kasur lost their jobs. The recent ban on the celebration of Valentine’s Day also deprived many people from earning a living by selling flowers, gifts and balloons. Festivals have historically been a great source of entertainment especially before the advent of mass-produced entertainment.
They divert peoples’ attention from their demanding lives and amuse them in their leisure time. Against the backdrop of recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan, it becomes all the more important to revive and celebrate many festivals that are either banned by the government or ignored by the society at large. Pakistan is home to dozens of different festivals and their celebration will surely bring communities together.
It was heartening to see how members from civil society defied terrorists and performed dhamaal at the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. Launching and closing the two-day mother languages festival at Lok Virsa Islamabad with dhamaal by the delegates and participants was indeed a fitting response to the obscurantist mindset of the terrorists. One delegate rightly said, “Our response to the terrorists is dhamaal ”.
Lok Virsa is the only institution in Pakistan that has been very active over the last couple of years in reviving and celebrating several cultural and religious festivals. After successfully holding the two-day long mother languages festival, the institution will celebrate Basant: there will be songs, dances, food stalls and kite-making by master artisans. Lok Virsa will celebrate the festivals of Nawroz, Holi, Diwali, Christmas in addition to Rabab and Saroz in the following months. Such festivals bring us together in a bond of love, irrespective of colour, creed, race and religion. We believe that festivals, like life, are gifts that need to be celebrated.
The festivals enable our community to pause life and come together to celebrate our incredibly diverse community. People can reconnect with each other, share stories and life experiences, play games, and reflect on the life they are living, whatever their religious beliefs. The sharing of food is always at the heart of all our celebrations and is much looked forward to.
The importance of festivals to culture and society cannot be underestimated. There are many types of festivals around the world, and we need them all to return – here’s why… It’s easy to think festivals are just about a bunch of privileged people in a field drinking cider and dancing – and yes, those festivals are great – but the layers of significant cultural importance that make up even those festivals represent a long journey within a particular culture, society and history.
These distinct characteristics have become particularly important in an era dominated by individual, virtual and ‘on demand’ cultural consumption. But we lack proper understanding of what these differences mean when it comes to cultural engagement. This is partially because the opportunity for ‘collective encounter’ was taken for granted until not so long ago. The value and importance of collective joy or shared euphoria are aspects that are not properly encapsulated within economic impact analysis frameworks. Economic analysis will help us understand how cultural activity may lead into job generation or tourism development but not how it leads to happiness, wellbeing, belonging or creative inspiration.
