Christmas in Iran (Photos Included) -- Merry Christmas to every one on FR from your Iranian FRiend

various | 12/21/05 | Self

[Khashayar]

People (both muslims and christians) are getting ready for a happy new year and Christmas!

Although we (Persians) have our own solar year delivery (Norouz) on march 21st every year, most people also celebrate Christmas though

Merry Christmas to every one from Iran

[sionnsar]

Iranians have more freedom to celebrate Christmas in Iran than Americans in the United States.

Excellent point!

[cvq3842]

Thank you, and best wishes back to you and yours.

[Dustbunny]

Merry Christmas to you and yours Khashayar and a wish for a very prosperous, happy and free New Year.

Thank you for the pics, really enjoyed them.

[Fawn]

Hi....Are you Christian? I read on your page that it is dangerous for you to post your views.....what would happen to you?
Thank you for posting your pictures....they are eye opening...I would have never known that Christmas was celebrated in IRan.

[sheik yerbouty]

Persia will regain its former glory when the mullahs are tossed on the ash heap of history. It is good to see that the mullahs could not stop Christmas!

[His Supreme Majesty]

If he is not careful, Iran's president, Mahmud ImaGonnaJihad is going to get a visit this CHRISTmas from "the Grinch", who is going to "place coal in his stocking"

[sheik yerbouty]

Perhaps an air delivery of Plutonum, "the gift that keeps on giving!"

[Czar]

I had no idea Christmas could even be mentioned in Iran, much less celebrated in the manner indicated by these photos.

Perhaps the good guys will prevail after all.

[Irish_Thatcherite]

Happy Christmas to you, Khashayar!!

[GoldwaterChick]

Merry Christmas, Friend. Thank you for the beautiful photographs. I must say it looks more like Christmas in Iran than in many places here near Philadelphia!

Best wishes to you in the New Year.

[parisa]

Hello Khashayar!

Your home page always makes me proud and happy, and it always makes me cry as well! All that we are, all that we have, all that we have lost. :-( You are a great ambassador for Iran and Iranians. Thank you for everything you do to inform people about the real Persians.

The Shahyad monument with all its symbolism is ALWAYS beautiful, specially lighted up like that in the picture.

May the year 2006 be the year that God finally smiles on that beautiful, but tortured land.

[Alamo-Girl]

Merry Christmas!

[Victoria Delsoul]

These are beautiful pictures. Thanks so much!

Merry Christmas to you as well, Khashayar.

[El Gato]

Some Biblical scholars think Jesus was probably born in the spring. This is due to references in the text to shepherds being in the fields with their flocks at the time of his birth. Apparently, this is not the normal practice during a typical winter in the Holy Land

I would think it would depend on the weather. Sheep are pretty hardy animals and don't really need to be brought in during winter, except during the harshest times, and even then they only need a windbreak. In many societies, the animals are brought in each night, although that's mostly the less hardy cattle. In any event, in most societies, unlike the case in the US and a few others, people would generally live in town, and go out to their farms and grazing areas each day, rather than living on the land is common in rural America. They'd often have community barns and would share the task of watching over the animals. Often it would be the younger people who would keep the animals, thus the term "Goose Girl" for example. Unless the weather was really bad, and often isn't in the Bethlehem area, I would expect the shepherds to be out tending the flocks at least until the more severe weather of January and February, and generally even then.

In the ranch country of the US, at least during the heyday of the "Old West" cowboys, the cattle would be left to their own resources for the winter. Thus the need for a "roundup" to recover and sort them out. (and also thus the need for branding them).

[chilepepper]

thanks for the wonderful pictures - they are really eye opening...

i have nothing but respect for the Iranian people (with some obvious exceptions of course). my father's life was once saved by a very, very skillful Iranian heart surgeon. other Persians i've run across, from programmers at work, to my room-mate in college (very, very intelligent and a wonderful person as well) have all been top-notch...

[Captain Rhino]

Being a city boy, I have no personal knowledge on the subject; simply reporting something I read during Bible studies some years ago.

During my enlisted days in the Marine Corps, I served with a Marine who had been a sheep herder in IIRC Montana or Wyoming prior to being drafted. Anyway, this ex-sheep herder was one of the toughest, most self-reliant men I have ever met. Good humored and very even tempered but also a very self-contained individual. Did his two years, made corporal and went back home.

(Note: This was the 1969-1971 time frame and while the Marine Corps didn't like it, it did draw from the Selective Service draft pool starting in 1967. I had one in my boot camp platoon. Poor guy was a green card resident alien from Mexico. He had the double misfortune of being drafted and then being selected for service in the Marine Corps. Of course, we volunteer Marines don't feel it was a misfortune but remember he was drafted and the US Army was 3-4 times larger than the Marine Corps at the time. A good bit of the Army never saw Vietnam. Just the opposite for the Marine Corps. But I digress. Anyway, he didn't really speak English but the DIs still had to turn him into a Marine. So they "volunteered" some of the smarter members of the platoon (including yours truly) to help him out academically. He passed his tests (without any foolishness I might add) and graduated with the platoon.)

[Fledermaus]

Merry Chirstmas and thank you for your kind words and those great pictures.

I pray for the day all Americans and Iranians can freely live and trade together.

[potlatch]

I see that Snoopy's finally 'slowing down' up there by Linus! He must be feeling a bit like me by now.

[potlatch]

Your pictures are beautiful and I'm so glad to see you can celebrate a 'Merry Christmas' there!!

[Paul_Denton]

Thanks! Merry Christmas :)