Starting from this week, this series makes you acquainted with various ethnicities and their sub-cultures in the vast land of Iran. Hope you’ll enjoy it and it will help you get familiar with various cultural aspects of different ethnicities scattered in every corner of Iran.

The Iranian people, since old times, have undergone countless developments and have benefited from these developments though these ups and downs have cost them dearly from time to time. The lifestyle of these ethnic groups, especially the ways they have dealt with the nature have been affected by industrialization and urbanization. However, the remains of all these lifestyles and old traditions have always attracted tourists from all over the world.

There are various ethnicities and sub-cultures in Iran among which one can mention: Bakhtiyari, Qashqai, Kurd, Lor, Turk, Arab, Turkmen, Sistani, Baluch, Malekshahi, Taleshi, Sangsari, Ammarlu, Bichaqchi, Boyer Ahmadi, Mamasani, Shahsavan and so on. Each of these peoples has its special culture, traditions and national customs. They hold special ceremonies for marriage. They have their local sports, songs, music and so forth which draw the lovers of diverse cultures.

Iran enjoys particularities with regard to traditions, and subcultural interactions. Performance of national and religious rituals, feasts, marriage, mourning ceremonies, and other cultural actions have been shaped on the basis of religious beliefs and national and regional attachments.

Iranian ethnicities include brave, hardworking, righteous, resolute, hospitable, patriotic, kind and free-thinking people.

The study of folklore is of great importance from the ethnographic point of view because the great bulk of the culture and literature of every nation exists in the oral memory of that nation much more than what is preserved in the books and written record of the past. There are a big number of stories, fables, parables, adages and songs on the tongue and in the heart of people which contain admonitions and lessons of life.

Today the people of the world are interested in studying and seeing the lifestyle of other ethnicities. Thus, the historical, political and social fame of different ethnicities have made Iran attractive for the lovers of ethnic variety. We hope that this series of programs will open a new vista of subcultures and beautiful attractions of Iran.

RM/ME