TEHRAN, YJC.-- The 13th day of the New Year is a special one around year. On this day people go camping to spend the day in nature. In Persian the day is called “sizdah beh dar”, ‘sizdah’ meaning thirteen, ‘dar’ out or countryside, and ‘beh’ being a preposition the same as “to”.
There are a number of accounts for the origin of the 13th.
The popular belief is that since the number 13 is ill-omened, people spend it
away from home to turn bad luck away from it.
Another account which is more scientific says that as old
Iranians celebrated the first 12 days of the New Year representing the 12
months, they held the 13th special as the official ending to the
celebrations.
Yet another mythological account goes that the son and
daughter of Gayomart, the first man and father of all humans in Persian
mythology, were engaged in the 13th day of the year. That is why
people hold the day as one of greenery and fertility. The account continues
that as the two got engaged, they knotted myrtaceae twigs, which is an occasion
observed today by some when getting married.