They Called That Day “The New Day”
An Interview with Esmael Khoei, the renowned Iranian poet
Note: With the New Year approaching, we went to see Esmael Khoi, the London-based man from Khorasan who taught philosophy in Tehran many years ago. Khoi has a long history of intimacy with feelings and words and, after all these years, he still concerns himself with the Persian language and Iranian culture. We talked about the great Ferdowsi and the reward he received for thirty years of patience and serenity, the myth of Jamshid, and a time when justice and goodness were present—at least in fables and legends. We talked about the appeal of those same legends in our lives today and our hopes for the future because, if what was then did not last, there is no doubt that this, too, shall pass.
Mr. Khoi, let us begin our talk with Jamshid’s myth and the emergence of Norooz, the way Ferdowsi describes it.
Yes. It happens to be a very timely remembrance. Many regard Ferdowsi as the father of the Persian language. But this is not so. All Persian speaking people are the true fathers and mothers of this language. However, the great Ferdowsi is truly the father of Persian poetry, and its literary and historical writings, an honorable man who composed the myths and the legends of this land in verse. In connection with Norooz, Ferdowsi talks about the kingdom of Jamshid. Based on his words, we must realize that if Norooz is not the most ancient Iranian celebration, it is at least one of the oldest both in Iran and in the rest of the world. Of course, there were many ancient celebrations from which only some names and vague references are left in history. Whereas Norooz is still alive and remains significant.
Ferdowsi introduces Norooz as the day when Jamshid’s reign began. Is this correct?
Yes. In the Shahnameh, Ferdowsi attributes this celebration to Jamshid’s victory and his royalty. Jamshid, of course, is a mythological figure and it is said in the Shahnameh that he lived for one thousand years and reigned for seventy. But apart from the mythological aspect of this legend, which sounds unreal, I believe Ferdowsi was not talking about one man’s reign, but the reign of an entire dynasty. In this legend, Jamshid spends fifty years of his life teaching agriculture to Iranians, another fifty years teaching how to tend their flocks, another fifty years on how to spin and knit garments, and so on. This is how Jamshid teaches Iranians many skills and becomes a highly cultured king. Because of his contributions, when he finally takes the throne, Iranians honor and cherish that day and as Ferdowsi puts it: “They call that day the New Day.” This new day is Norooz, the legacy of a great king.
You mentioned that Norooz is one of the oldest celebrations to have survived to this day. To what do you attribute this endurance?
Iranians do not only celebrate Norooz as a historical reminiscence, it also represents the harmony between their culture and nature. In celebrating Norooz, it is not only the Iranians who unite with nature; nature also collaborates and comes together with them. It is not only our year that begins with Norooz, nature’s New Year also begins with it; the first day of Farvardin, the beginning of spring. Even if we, as Iranians, forget Norooz, the earth and nature will not. So as long as the earth and nature exist, Norooz will be honored and celebrated. I even believe Norooz will one day be observed globally. Even today it is widely recognized for its relation to nature and its renewal.
We have many verses that talk about spring in Persian literature. It would be difficult to name one great poet during the last thousand years who has not written a verse about the beauty of spring. Spring is one of the most ancient, yet enduring topics in the world’s poetry and literature, and is subsequently close to the hearts of all poets.
We’ve witnessed many conflicts between the religious and Iranian festivals and celebrations over the past few years. Do you think the religious festivals can overshadow the Iranian ones?
To answer your question we must look at the history of this conflict. After Iran was attacked by Arabs, the spirit of the Iranians was torn and polarized. While Iranians were forced to accept Islam, they were kept outside Kaaba indefinitely. As the poet says: “I went to circle the Kaaba, but they did not let me inside the shrine.” There are many examples of this poetry that we do not wish to discuss here. Iranians never forgot this attack, the one that resulted in the destruction of many libraries and the raids on many of their cities. One western historian has said that this attack resulted in five hundred years of regression in Iran’s civilization, as well as that of the larger global civilization.
For all these reasons, Iranians have maintained a permanent grudge against the Arab invaders in their consciousness. In the long stretch of history since then, an Iranian becomes a Muslim, but not with all his or her spirit. He or she remains an Iranian while becoming a Muslim, two identities that clash from deep within. A Jewish man is at home with his religion, since Judaism has its roots in the historical events within the Jewish society. So even if all Jewish people abandon their religion, Judaism maintains its glory and beauty; even if no one believes in it anymore. Islam is the same for Arabs; a religion that flourished in Arab culture and Arab society. The natural and historical religion for an Iranian is Zoroastrianism. It is in this belief system that the Iranian spirit can merge and flow naturally.
So you somehow attribute this conflict and contrast to an unharmonious language, nature, and religion?
An Iranian always struggles with his unity within Islam and that is why there is a strange contradiction in his spirit between his identity as an Iranian and as a Muslim. This contradiction will not go away until one of these identities vanishes or fades in comparison to the other. For example, Egyptians lost their language and the world hardly makes a distinction between them and the Arabs. But in Iran, fortunately, since the Persian language survived—not just on account of Ferdowsi, but by the collective attempt of all Iranians—the culture survived too, and with it the phenomenon of being an Iranian. As an aftermath of such survival, a conflict between being an Iranian and a Muslim began.
This conflict sometimes brings out Iranian nationalism and sometimes Islamic fundamentalism. The obvious examples of these in recent history are Reza Shah and Khomeini: one emerging from our Iranian spirit and the other from our Islamic spirit. One attempts to wipe out any trace of religious beliefs, while the other struggles to remove any sign of Iranian identity, and unfortunately this venture has a long way to go. Not that I have any problem with Arabs, but I do have an issue with advocating Arabization, the same as becoming overly Westernized. But these two tendencies are quite different. There is a difference between being an Arab and Arabization. Arab nations today house some of the most oppressed people in the world, and I like them and sympathize with them. But advocating Arabization damages our nationality and culture. Obviously an Iranian with substance will fight against Arabization, especially when he or she is conscience about his or her nationality.
Let’s go back to Norooz. This is a cherished celebration for all Iranian ethnic groups, is it not?
Of course. Now that the Iranian part of our spirit is under pressure, this strain and austerity has led all of us, including Kurds, Balouches, Lors, and even Iranian Arabs to come to a realization and celebrate this Iranian festival in a more magnificent and enhanced way. And what a pleasure this is.
Thank you so much for your time Mr. Khoei, is there anything else you would like to add?
I would like to extend my warmest regards to the people of Iran and the rest of the world as we enter this New Year. It is my hope that everyone stays healthy and safe for this year and many years to come. Happy Norooz!
 Author of Iran's national epic, the Shahnameh, which was written entirely in Persian.