What do Iranians and Brits have in common? Both nations love tea!

Now, let’s be more specific! I’m not an expert in British culture but I can tell you how Iranians like to prepare their tea “chai“ چای , drink it, and a lot more.

Tea in Iranian culture is more than just a beverage. It is a lifestyle. If you hang out with an Iranian, whether at work, their house, or in a picnic, it won’t take long until they would propose the idea of having some tea!

The most common type of tea consumed in Iran is cardamom black tea. The brewed black tea is often served with “sugar cubes” ghand قند, which you can place between your teeth, then sip the tea and let the sugar dissolve immediately. Iranians find this a convenient way to drink multiple cups of tea, especially when the weather is cold. You may use other sweets and pastries, or drink your tea just like your coffee –  black. Think of a good cup of tea as a good cup of coffee; the higher the concentration of caffeine, the better.

There is not a set time for drinking tea. Iranians like to have their tea with breakfast, after lunch, after their afternoon nap, or even at 10:00 p.m. The sound of popping the “kettle”,  ketri  کتری is the most magical sound in Iranian households and brings people together. Tea is served hot at almost all social occasions and family gatherings. The color of Iranian tea is dark red and the taste is fairly light. It is also delicious without even adding any milk or sugar.

The traditional device for brewing tea is called samovar سماور, which originates from Russia and the tradition adapted from Russian tea culture by the Persian empire. Iranians usually turn on their Samovars each day in the morning and put a “teapot” ghoori قوری on top of it and they won’t turn it off until the day ends.

One of the popular versions of black tea is called Chaii Shirin “sweat tea” چایی شیرین, which is a favorite for breakfast. چایی شیرین consists of black tea and sugar and when you stir the tea, you will have Chaii Shirin!

There are many “tea houses” chai khaane چایخانه throughout Iran where you can drink different flavors of tea. A typical چایخانه offers “beds” takhts تخت  or low-rise platforms covered in Persian rugs and pillows that you may relax on.

چایخانه can face a river, mountains, a natural scenery, or walls often painted with Iranian classical epic stories such as شاهنامه.

Visitors can enjoy a unique perspective and painted imaginary scenes using epics and religion as the main themes of artwork drawn on the walls while they drink their tea.

Stay tuned to hear more about this style of painting in Iran in my future blogs.

How would you like to take your tea? Please share and comment below.

Vocabulary

چای

قند

کتری

قوری

سماور

چایی شیرین

چایخانه

تخت

شاهنامه

     

Related Stories

• What is your plan?
• Different ways of saying “How are you” in Persian
• How to greet someone in Persian?

 

Photo by Furknsaglam from Pexels

Are you ready to find out how Iranians say, “What is your plan?”

In Persian, this phrase is used casually among people in their day-to-day life, and it translates as barnameh at chi-yeh?, برنامه ات چیه؟”.

The formal version of the phrase “What is your plan?” is: barnameh at chist?, برنامه ات چیست؟

What is going on grammatically here? chi چی  is the question word for what. When چی is combined with the “to be” verb for the third person and says, “It is”, the two words blend in together; چی + است  and make چیست.

برنامه translates in English as “plan” or “schedule” and takes the construct possessive case and becomes برنامه ات. or “your plan.”

Now, just like in English, there are a zillion ways of answering this question. However, when speaking to coworkers, strangers, and acquaintances, Iranians often respond in a more general manner, like “I am busy mashghool-am مشغولم , “Not much” hichi هیچی.

“As usual”, mesl-e hamisheh, مثل همیشه or “I don’t have any plans” barnameh iy nadaram  برنامه ای ندارم. ,and echo the question back. Well, I agree with you, these phrases are not the height of originality.

Let’s be a bit more specific by adding an adverb of time to your question, like “What is your plan this weekend?” ,akhar-e hafteh barnameh at chist, آخر هفته برنامه ات چیست؟. That is right! You can add the adverb of time at the beginning of your question. “What is your plan tomorrow?”,farda barnameh at chist فردا برنامه ات چیست؟.

What if you are talking to people who know you and they want to know more about you and your plans? It is a wide-open question and leaves you free to respond with anything you think is important enough to share with them, and that depends on who they are to you. You may say, “I’m going out with my friends,” ba doostanam birun mi ravam, با دوستانم بیرون می روم or “I’ll watch a movie with my family, “ba khanevadeh-am film mi binam. با خانواده ام فیلم می بینم .

Or you can provide a more detailed answer such as “I want to go to my friend’s house” mi khaha, be khaneh-ye doostam beravam, می خواهم به خانه  دوستم بروم , “We want to watch a soccer match,” Mi khahim bazi-e football ra tamasha konim ما می خواهیم بازی فوتبال  را تماشا کنیم. ” Then, we’ll have some chelow kabab.”Ba’ad, chelow kabab mikhorim . بعد، چلوکباب می خوریم

Many Iranians like to watch soccer; in fact, soccer is the most popular sport in Iran!

What is your plan for the weekend? Please share and comment below.

Vocabulary

برنامه

چی

فردا

آخرهفته

خانواده

دوستان

چلوکباب

بعد

تماشا کردن

خواستن

خوردن

     

Related Stories

• Different ways of saying “How are you” in Persian
• How to greet someone in Persian?
• What do traditional Persian restaurants offer?

 

Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay

Now that you have mastered “Hello,” what do you say next? How do you ask, “How are you” in Persian and how do you reply?

In Persian, people tend to use a literal translation to “Are you well?” more often than “How are you”. This is how you can use it: Haletoon khub-eh? حالتون خوبه؟.

Of course, there is also a formal way of saying the same phrase, you may see this form in books, newspapers, the news, formal speeches, and poetry. It is “standard” Persian and it is nearly the same in Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. This is how you can say, “Are you well” in formal Persian, Hal-e shoma khub hast? حال شما خوب هست؟.

The word حال  refers to health and the state of being in this context. You can also say How are you, haletoon chetor-eh? Or in a formal way, you would say, Hal-e shoma chetor hast? حال شما چطور هست which literally means “How is your health?”

As you know, first impressions are important, so why be boring when there are so many ways to greet a person? This is how one would say “What’s up?” in Persian, che khabar? چه خبر؟

The word Khabar translates into Persian as a piece of news and the phrase “What’s up?” literally means “What piece of news?” This question mostly refers to the news, gossip, and the latest goings-on.

To keep it simple and use the word that means just what it says, you can respond, salamati, سلامتی , which translates in Persian as health.

You can continue your conversation by saying, what are you up to, che kar mi koni? چه کار می کنی.

A very casual response to this line can be, “I am working”, mashghool am, مشغولم.

Let’s say you want to say you’ve been busy which translates to  سرم شلوغه . The interesting item in this phrase is سر which translates to head, the phrase literally means my head is busy! Of course, we do not literally translate expressions!

When responding to “what’s up?” you can spice it up and show off your verbal dexterity by saying, I don’t have time to catch breath, vaght-e sar kharandan nadaram, وقت سر خاراندن ندارم. This phrase literally translates to I do not have time to scratch my head! You are right! Another expression with the word head! I tell you that this word is one of the most popular words in Persian expressions!

What other ways of saying “how are you” have you heard? Please comment below and share your experience.

Vocabulary

حال

چه خبر

سلامتی

مشغولم

سرم شلوغه

وقت

سر

سرخاراندن

چطوری

چه کار می کنی؟

     

Related Stories

• What do traditional Persian restaurants offer?
• What is your plan?
• How to greet someone in Persian?

 

Image by Taken from Pixabay

Do you know there is more than one way to greet someone in the Persian language?

Salam سلام is the first word you will probably learn to speak in Persian and is the most fundamental greeting you should know. سلام  is used to say hello and translates in English as “Peace be upon you.”

The reply to this can vary. Age plays a pivotal role in Persian greetings. Children from an early age learn how to greet older people and parents teach their children to be polite and respect older people. Responding to سلام is even more important than offering it.

The answer to سلام can be as simple as saying it back, or in the situation when an older person greets a younger person, the younger person (not children or teenagers) often responds by saying salam az bandeh ast سلام از بنده است, meaning “It is my duty to offer سلام to you first”.

There are other nuances regarding سلام. When a guest enters a party; it is necessary to greet the most important people in the room (the eldest). Greeting with سلام is not limited to the number of times that one can say it. For instance, during a party, after the initial greeting is exchanged and a guest goes out for a while and returns, it is common to say سلام to the whole party again. In this scenario, other people at the party are encouraged to say welcoming phrases such as befarmayid بفرمایید (come in please) or ya’allah یالله (Oh God).  If a guest enters a large gathering, it is recommended to say salam be hamegi سلام به همگی (Hello everyone).

There are other salutations in Persian greeting, including Salaam Aleykom سلام علیکم (Peace be unto you), Salam o sad salam سلام و صد سلام  (hello and one hundred hellos) and Salam be ro-ye mahet سلام به روی ماهت “Hello to your face which is as beautiful as the moon!”.

Another way to offer greetings is to say dorood درود which translates in English as hello. درود is not as widespread as سلام. It is rather literary and stylistic. It is popular by those who are in favor of pure Persian compared with the word سلام that has an Arabic origin.

روزبخیر translates as “good day” at any time of the day. It is used as hello or goodbye. Remember to pronounce the letter kh ‘خ ‘ like it is pronounced in Hebrew or Russian, not the letter k ‘ک ‘.

Different ways to exchange greetings in Persian show positivity, respect to elders, and politeness in Iranian culture. What other ways of saying “hello” have you heard? Please comment below and share your experience.

Vocabulary:

سلام

سلام از بنده است

بفرمایید

یالله

سلام به همگی

سلام علیکم

علیکم سلام

سلام و صد سلام

سلام به روی ماهت

درود

روزبخیر,

     

Related Stories

• What is your plan?
• Different ways of saying “How are you” in Persian
• What do traditional Persian restaurants offer?

 

It is special because it is not just a new year, it is the first day of spring. Because it follows the Gregorian calendar, the first day of spring is the first day of the year. It is celebrated for thirteen days unlike the US new year which only lasts one day. The thirteenth day, which is called sizdah bedar/ 13 outing سیزده بدر  or nature day, is when everyone spends their time in the outdoors until sunset.

Persians set a haft sin هفت سین which concludes of seven objects most of which start with the letter /s/ in Farsi. They are sabzeh, goldfish, candles, painted eggs, a mirror, coins, a flower called sonbol, garlic, somagh, senjed, an apple, samanu, and the book of Hafez. Iranians/Persians also clean their houses thoroughly or what they call it “shake the house”  خانه تکانی and remove all the old stuff or clutter out of the house. Everybody also gets at least one set of new clothes for Nowruz. All the family members gather around the haft sin right at the time when the year changes and then they pray for everybody on Earth to have the best of the health for the year to come.

They bring lots of great food items including ajil آجیل , Persian sweets, and seasonal fruits which one can find everywhere they go for visiting to celebrate Nowruz. The most fun part for kids is getting new money bills called “Eidi”  عیدی from their parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, etc. There is “Uncle Firuz” or  حاجی فیروز  who is the equivalent of Santa Claus and spreads happiness wherever he goes with dancing and singing but giving candy and money instead of presents.

Last but not least, Happy Nowruz to all our readers! نوروزتان مبارک

       

Comments

• Thanks for the article! It’s brief and informative. I am ... by Maryam

Related Stories

• The Iranian Festival Shabe Yalda
• What do traditional Persian restaurants offer?
• How would you like to take your tea?

 

Persian people usually get together with family and spend the night together. They eat different kinds of fruits like pomegranate, watermelon, grapes, oranges, persimmons, and mixed nuts called “Ajil” آجیل and baked goods. They read poetry by the great poet Hafiz “Divane Hafiz” دیوان حافظ , sing songs, and talk about memories and tales from the good old days.. The celebration goes almost until after midnight and people stay up late because they don’t want to miss this precious time of being together.

Shabe Yalda is observed in other countries like Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Kurdistan, Tajikistan, and Turkey, too. The table is decorated in red, orange, and maroon to represent dawn and glow of life. Traditionally people get around a “Korsi” کرسی   a small low-level table with a big mattress or covering around it, to keep them warm from the cold outside and more importantly keeping the family close together.

Of course, around these days, fruits like

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtAfDZ_t968

watermelon and pomegranate are very expensive. But almost everyone tries to have these two fruits on their table for Shable Yalda. The ladies of the house open the pomegranate and put all the red shining seeds in a big bright bowl ready to be served, so that their guests don’t go through the hardship. Watermelon may also be carved and decorated like a pumpkin on Halloween. It is all about eating and having fun on this night. So, all the delicacies need to be set up before guests arrive.

Usually people get together at their grandparent’s house or an elder, respected member of the family. Divane Hafez is read by those who can read Hafiz poetry well and interpret its deep meaning. While the poetry is read, everyone else sits quietly while the reader interprets and associates the poem’s meaning with the guests’ life experiences. Many others just read the rhythmic poetry and enjoy its deep and vast denotation.

So remember if you see Persian people around you on Dec 20-21, tell them “Shabe Yalda Mobarak!” or شب یلدا مبارک  meaning Happy Yalda!

There is also a video if you want to learn more, hope you enjoy your Shabe Yalda.

     

Related Stories

• Nowruz 1396-2018 نوروز
• What do traditional Persian restaurants offer?
• How would you like to take your tea?