Birjand hosts Pahlevani ceremony

Iran’s Birjand has hosted a Pahlevani traditional ceremony titled ‘Nan-o-Namak’ (Bread and Salt in Persian).

Pahlevani tradition is a kind of group sport, usually held in the form of an old-fashioned ceremony.

The ceremony is about a covenant manifesting the principles of Pahlevani sports.

Bread and salt, in Iranian culture and particularly in Pahlevani sports, symbolize appreciation of a mentor’s efforts in the path of an athlete’s success.

Pahlevani and Zourkhaneh rituals have been inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO in 2010.

MG/AG