TEHRAN, Iran — Iranians on Wednesday flocked to parks rich with the smell of grilled kebabs to toss around Frisbees, bat badminton birdies, and battle one another in chess and backgammon — all to avoid being caught inside on the unlucky 13th day of the Iranian new year.
The annual public picnic day, called Sizdeh Bedar, which comes from the Farsi words for “thirteen” and “day out,” is a legacy from Iran’s pre-Islamic past. Many say it’s bad luck to stay indoors for the holiday.
Iranian hard-liners have tried unsuccessfully for decades to stamp out the festival and other pre-Islamic events, which are seen as closer to Zoroastrianism, the predominant faith of Iranians before Islam.
They have had little success.
“When we go out on Sizdeh Bedar, we take ill omens out with us,” said Tehran resident Marzieh Rahimim, 64. “Otherwise, a quarrel may happen or an invaluable dish may be broken.”
