Iranian Rituals
Explorations of tradition spotlight the unique ceremonies and rituals that shape how we remember and belong.
Luckily, Iranian culture holds a deep well of living practices to draw upon: Nowruz and Chaharshanbe Suri, Yalda and Mehregan, Tirgan and Sadeh and countless local rites that rarely travel beyond their towns. Inspired by the fieldwork spirit behind great folklore collections, the Iranian Rituals effort documents, illustrates, and catalogs ceremonies passed down for thousands of years.
The process:
Anyone can submit a ritual — with its name, story, season/date, and region of origin — to the @iranian_rituals Instagram channel.
A volunteer group reviews, edits, and for one full year documents the submissions with short essays, photos/illustrations, and references.
People across Iran and around the world are invited to engage and flag where each ritual appears, building a map and calendar view of these practices.
Iranian Rituals aims to build community around these meaningful, sometimes awe-inspiring, and always revealing cultural practices.
Local Traditions & Folk Practice
Oral sources: This project receives accounts of rituals from all across Iran (and beyond) on a daily basis. These are then illustrated, described, and published on Instagram to assess authenticity. When several confirmations arrive from the same region, the ritual is added to the directory. An interactive map and calendar of these rituals is in development.
Impact
Impressions to Date: 1,000,000+
Hours Spent: ~1000
Active Since: March 2025
Last updated: Sep 2025
Publisher
Eranshahr
Digital
Instagram - @iranian_rituals
Print
Coming soon
Team Members
Nasrin Vaez - Researcher, Writer
Nasrin Taheripour - Researcher, Writer
Mahsa Deami - Researcher, Writer
Shakiba Bahrami - Researcher, Writer
Yalda Rasekhi - Illustrator
Monireh Kashani - Illustrator
Parisa Dabagh - Community Manager, Writer, Translator
Mohammad Rasoulipour - Steward, Illustrator