Balochi Customs
Top 20 Iranian Customs and Traditions in Baluchistan Iran
Sistan va Baluchistan province is located southeast of Iran, bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan. City of Zahedan is the capital of this province. The province consists of two sections, Sistan in the north and Baluchistan in the south. Baloch people of Iran are tolerant, patient, hardworking, warrior, kind and hospitable. They have one of the oldest cultures in the world. Baloch people have excellent skills in shooting, camel riding, hunting, desert climbing and mountain climbing. Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha ceremonies are held in this province very magnificently and this province is full of exciting local games.
Sword Dancing in Khajeh Mountain
Nowruz, the Persian New Year, is celebrated with the beginning of spring in Iran. It has been celebrated for at least 3000 years and is deeply rooted in the traditions of Zoroastrian belief. The celebration of the New Year in Sistan va Baluchistan is started from the last five days of the year. From the ancient times in Zoroastrians era, Iranians believe that, every 12 months had 30 days throughout the year. Therefore, 5 extra days remained at the end of the year. They named these days Panjak which means "5 days" in Persian. People of Sistan Baluchistan hold some special ceremony in Khajeh Mountain during Panjak days. In the past, the ceremony was celebrated extensively, including stoning and lighting fire; however, today it is only celebrated with joy and sword dancing. They believe that Khajeh Mountain was the place of appearing Saoshyant, which refers to someone who will make the existence brilliant in the Zoroastrian religion. The term literally means one who brings benefit.
Nowruz Celebration in Sistan Baluchistan
The people of Sistan Baluchistan plant wheat or barley next to the entrance doors of their houses. They believe that it will bring them bounty and happiness throughout the year by looking at the green wheat before entering their homes. They believe in Bibi Hoor instead of Amou Norouz (reminiscent of Santa Clause in the western world) and if it is raining during the last 5 days of the year, they say that she is washing her hair. The people of Sistan celebrate the start of the New Year with folk music and songs. They also bake some special cookies and confections for Norouz. During these days, the women gather and participate in the preparation of different delicious cookies including Sistani cool cookie endo and Qelifi which are special for these days. They put bread and cookies on haftsin table, because they believe that on the morning of Eid, Bibi Nowruz visits all the houses and tables. They also distribut Cholbak cookie among the poor people in the cemetery of cities at the last Thursday of the year.
Eid al-Fitr in Sistan Baluchistan
Eid al-Adha in Sistan Baluchistan
Ramadan Rituals in Sistan Baluchistan
Balochi Wedding Customs
Balochi Dance
Balochi dance is extremely beautiful and attractive. The most popular type of Balochi dances are Dochaap, Sechai, Lenki, Kupko, Gera and Lewa. Lewa is accompanied by Sorena and Dohol playing. In "Gera" people hold each other’s shoulders and move in circles while singing folk songs.
Dochaap Dance
The most popular type of Balochi dance is known as Dochaap. It’s a group dance performed by men or women who move in a circle and clap their hands. Dochaap dance starts with sorena playing. People who want to dance form a half circle or a full circle and perform Balochi rhythmic movements along with a special song that is played. Then the drummer hits the big drum and together with the one who plays the sorena and the one who plays the small drum, they perform a special rhythm. People clap their hands with the rhythm then they start spinning. When the rhythm becomes faster, the dance also becomes faster.
Muharram in Sistan Baluchistan
Camel Riding
Zar o Bad
Local Games
Chel Chel Game
Chol Game
Wood Dance
Kijzoor Game
Kabedi Game
Balochi Music
Balochi music has a unique style and sound, which is different from the music of other regions in Iran. It is a combination of local folkloric poems and songs. Many different types of musical instruments are played in Balochistan. The most popular and well-known musical instruments are sorena, dohol, tabl, qichak, tenburg, rebab, bancho, reed, koze and dinbok. These instruments are primarily used in folk music. Local Baloch songs are usually played during celebrations such as wedding ceremonies and holidays such as Eid al-Fitr and are directly related to the natural environment, lifestyle and religious beliefs of the people of the region. Balochi music is very attractive.
Balochi Dresses
Balochi dressing is simple but elegant and Balochi culture is evident in the traditional Balochi dress. Men wear turbans as the headwear in all of the tribes. In addition, they wear wide loose shalwar with a knee-long shirt called kameez. Baloch men wear an open collar shirt, a long robe, a white handkerchief and a thick belt. They wear special shoes with the tip turned upwards, which is called Kush. Baloch women's clothes are sewn with high-quality cotton and silk fabrics in various colors. To sew these clothes, the arts of needlework, Baluchi embroidery, Perivar embroidery and mirror embroidery are used and therefore they are very expensive. Mirror embroidery consists of small rounded mirror pieces embedded in the shirt, which makes it beautiful. Baloch women's clothing consists of pajamag, serik, teko and headscarf. Pajamag is a wide and pleated pant, Sarik is a kind of scarf made of a bigger tent, and Teku is a kind of chaddar. Chaddar is a long rectangular piece of clothing cascading down the shoulders which is used to cover the head by women.
History of the Baloch People
The name of the Baloch people was written for the first time in the inscriptions of the Achaemenid period and Greek books. In the Biston inscription of Dariush in the city of Kermanshah, a tribe named "Gedozia" is mentioned. This people, who also have the title of "Gedroch" and were also called "Mecca", are the same Baloch people. Archaeologists are of the opinion that the word Mecca is derived from Makran. Herodotus mentioned in his book that a people called "Maka" live on the shores of the Persian Gulf. Maka, which is the land of Makran, is considered one of the 14 provinces in Achaemenid Iran.
Balochi Language
The original Balochi language is an Indo-Iranian language of the Indo-European family. However, the modern Balochi language seems to influence Arabi, Persian, Sindhi, and other languages. The linguistic roots of Balochi people have been considered to be Pahlavi. Middle Pahlavi language is the root of Balochi, Kurdish and Gilaki languages in Iran, which are included in the category of Parthian Pahlavi languages. Due to the presence of Parthians and Kayans in the land of Sistan and their neighborhood with Baluchistan, the language of these people has Pahlavi roots. Balochi language is very similar to Kurdish language. Balochs understand the Kurdish language and many of their words are the same as Kurdish words.
Religion of Balochi
Most of the Balochi people are Muslims, and they follow Sunni Islam, although Shia also live among them.
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