Raymond Williams argues, “Culture is one of the two or three most complicated words in the English language”. Culture is part of the fabric of every society. It shapes the way things are done and our understanding of why this should be so. It definitely regulates our lives by unconsciously shaping our attitudes, values, goals, behavior or personality. Culture is the most inclusive and comprehensive term to illuminate and illustrate the identity of the people of a land. It consists of language, ideas, beliefs, customs, codes, institutions, works of art, rituals, ceremonies, symbols and etc.
Every nation, throughout its history, has developed more or less a unique cultural character. Through the passage of history civilizations have emerged, some have swallowed up others or have merged with each others. Human has witnessed several great civilizations that have made great impressions on the other nations. Persia has been the heart of one of this few civilizations. With 2500 years of written history, Persians are proud to be among the nations who have made the most contribution to world’s culture. Due to long history, vastness, being at the crossroads of immigrations and experiencing thousands of vicissitudes, Persian culture is unique and at the same time comprises different other cultures. On the other hand you can see the trace of Persian culture in many other cultures.
The arrival of the Aryan peoples-Medes and Persians-on the Iranian plateau in the first millennium B.C. marked the beginning of the Iranian civilization, rising to the heights of the great Achaemenid Empire consolidated by Cyrus the Great in 550 B.C.E. Under the rulers Darius the Great and Xerxes, the Achaemenids extended their empire from northern India to Egypt. Alexander the great conquered the Achaemenid Empire but died shortly afterwards. The process of subdivision and conquest culminated in the establishment of the entirely Persian Sassanid Empire at the beginning of the third century C.E. Down to the present, Arabs, Mongols, Afghans, Turks and many others have attacked Persia and one pattern has repeated again and again : the conquerors of Iranian territory are eventually themselves.
Foreigners have come full force like floods, to capture and destroy everything. But after awhile, when the confusion subsided, impressed by Persian’s culture, they have gone home to share the impression with others. Meanwhile Persians have also taken the featured characteristics of the invaders. That is why Persians and other nations have a lot in common. If you have a look at the customs and festivals, works of art such as architecture, literature and painting of this land, this commonality is apparent. In fact culture and art are two closely interwoven concepts forming the soul of human civilizations. And they move and change along in the passage of history.
As mentioned, Persians are the descendants of Aryans. Farsi (or Persian) is the most spoken language of Iranians. Farsi is among the indo-European branch of languages and against the common belief, is not related to Arabic which is a Semitic language. After Arab invasion they influenced Farsi a lot and Persians adopted the writing script from Arabic. Farsi is thought to be one of the most poetic languages of the human race and Persians to be the great lovers of poetry. Great numbers of poets with thousands of Divans are the proof to this demand. Masters like Rumi, Saadi, Hafez, Ferdowsi, and Khayyam are not only national treasures; they are known, read and appreciated throughout the world. Modern poets writing in non-metric styles are equally revered.
Farsi is the country’s formal language, but not the only one. Iran is the country of people, every ethnic group talks it own language. Turks (Azeris), Kurds, Arabs, Baluchs, Lurs, Turkmens, Armenians, Gilakis and Mazandaranis, all speak their own languages. They have lived with Persians peacefully for years. Iran has been somewhat blessed by an absence of specific ethnic conflict.
Not only Iran comprises different ethnic groups with different languages, Persians are also tolerant of different religions. After Arab’s invasion, although they couldn’t conquer Farsi, Islam conquered Zoroastrianism and now Shiite Muslims make up to 90% of the population. Others like Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians are the minorities living with Muslims.
Zoroastrianism is one of the man’s oldest monotheistic religions. It has highly influenced Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Many of the western festivals have roots in Zoroastrianism and ancient Persia. Noruz, Yalda night, Chahar Shanbeh Suri are the Persian festivities, alive from the time of Zoroaster.
Persian New Year is called Noruz. Iranians are the only people who celebrate the New Year with the coming of spring. It begins a bit sooner with Chahar Shanbeh Suri and its jumping over fire and then house cleansing (Khaneh Tekani) to welcome the New Year. The whole family sits around Haft Seen to celebrate the first minutes of the New Year and then go to visit friends and relatives. Last day of Noruz, Sizdah Bedar, is spent in nature.
Noruz is a national celebration and is being held throughout Iran. All ethnic groups regarding their own cultural characteristics celebrate Noruz. In addition to the ancient Persian cultural festivities, some national religious celebrations are being held. Moharam and Ramadan are the two main celebrations being held among Muslims.
Another interesting, lets say tasteful, dimension of Iranian culture is the tasteful cuisine of Persians. Persian cooking is combination of rice with meat, chicken or fish and plenty of garlic, onion, vegetables, nuts, and herbs. It is largely a product of the geography and domestic food products of Iran. Dishes like Chelow Kabab, Ghormeh Sabzi, Gheimeh, Abgusht and different Ashes are flavorful and toothsome. Saffron is the most distinctive spice used, but many other flavorings including lime, mint, turmeric, and rosewater are common.
The taste of Persian cuisine like the amazing friendliness and hospitability of Persians, the outstanding images of Persian architecture, the sound of Persian soulful music, would remain in the memory of every visitor.

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