Three killed, hundreds injured in "fire festival" in Iran

In the Chaharshanbeh Suri, or the "fire festival," in Iran on Tuesday evening three people were killed and hundreds of others were injured, a spokesman of Iran's Emergency Center announced on Wednesday.

The people who were killed in the festival were from the Iranian northern cities of Tehran, Qazvin and Rasht, Mojtaba Khaledi was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency.

Out of 259 wounded people, eleven were women, Khaledi said, adding that 15 others also sustained amputation because of the fire games, according to the report.

Iranians celebrated Chaharshanbeh Suri on Tuesday evening as a sign of a farewell to the old year and a prelude to the new year.

The turn of year, according to the Iranian calendar, falls on March 20 which also marks the beginning of the spring in the country.

With the fall of the dusk on Tuesday, Iranians celebrated the fire festival by jumping over bonefiers and using firecrackers in public places, which has its roots in the ancient customs and history of the country.

As the people jumped over the bonefiers, they sang anthems for the fire under their feet, figuratively trading the warmth and beauty of the flames.

The hymns also signified to beat out all the misfortunes and impurities of the past year and get ready for the new resolutions in the coming year.

In the coldest regions of the country and following the fire festival, people gather in their elders' houses eating Chaharshanbe Suri Ajil, or a mixture of raw nuts, raisins, figs and berries.

In the past, young people used to wear disguises and go door to door knocking on doors to receive Chaharshanbe Suri Ajil. The rite is fading away in the modern Iran. Endit