March 15, 2024
The government has eased its usual Ramadan dining rules this year, since no-eating Ramadan overlaps with big-eating Now Ruz. The traditional new year season began March 12 with Chaharshanbeh Souri, the big night of fireworks and jumping over bonfires, which turned into an especially injurious party this year. A total of 26 people were killed, believed to be a record, and the state news agency said an astounding 257 injured celebrants ended up having a limb amputated!
The fasting month of Ramadan began just days before Chaharshanbeh Souri, which is the Tuesday night before the final Wednesday of the old year. Normal Ramadan rules demand that all restaurants close throughout the daylight hours. The government may have surmised this would be courting danger with an already peeved public. So, it has now allowed restaurants to remain open in the daytime during the new year holidays so long as they paper-over or otherwise black out their windows so no fasting pedestrians can look in and see diners gorging away.
The law normally provides a punishment of 10 to 60 days in jail or up to 64 lashes for anyone violating the Ramadan fasting rules. Chaharshanbeh Souri proved to be extremely popular this year, despite (or, perhaps, because of) the regime’s efforts of many decades to suppress it as a pagan rite. Traffic was unusually heavy and chaotic all across the nation’s capital. Tehran police said they had seized 42 tons of illegal fireworks before the festivities, but that clearly did not dent the evening’s celebrations. Meanwhile, two women lacking headcoverings, of course were arrested for “norm-breaking” by dressing up in red and with blackened faces portraying Haji Firuz, the Now Ruz character normally played by males.
