EXHIBITS
Talking to America: Iranian Communities in Southern California: Sadeh Celebration
Sadeh Celebration
Sadeh is a mid-winter Iranian festival. It was a national celebration before the advent of Islam (633–654) when Zoroastrianism was the state religion of Iran. It is now mainly celebrated by the remaining Zoroastrian population in Iran and in the diaspora.
In Southern California, the festival also attracts non-Zoroastrian audiences. Due to its association with the ancient, pre-Islamic Persian culture, many Iranians and Iranian-Americans find it intriguing in contrast to Islamic traditions.
Like many other Zoroastrian rituals, Sadeh involves the practice of kindling fire. The priests perform the Sadeh celebration by kindling fire in front of a large crowd in the California Zoroastrian Center of Orange County.
Chants and prayers are recited before the audience moves outside to observe the ceremony. Four Zoroastrian priests can be seen through the glass wall behind the stage as they perform prayers inside the fire temple (atashkadeh). The Faravahar sign, one of the best known symbols of Zoroastrianism, is centered on top of the stage.
Second-and third-generation Iranian-Americans participate in the Sadeh celebration by singing prayers and performing group dances for the audience.
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During the event, the sacred merges with the social: dance, conversations, and photo-ops take place after prayers around the fire, and participants engage in eating, drinking, and socializing for the rest of the night.
After the Sadeh fire ceremony, a Zoroastrian man prays in the atashkadeh (Fire temple) while singing and dancing continues outside.
