Jel Jelani Ritual of Tameh Natanz and its Comparison with Other Fire Theme Iran Rituals

Jel Jelani is an ancient ritual with Iranian roots that is held in the mountain village of Tameh in Natanz city. In this way, in the three nights leading to the 19th of January, the youth of the village light a fire in the evenings, then they go to the houses and sing folk poems to wish the people of the house blessings and health. After that, the owner of the house, with desire and respect, gives food gifts such as fruits and dried fruits. He puts it in a tray and gives it to the group, the group pours it into their donkey's trunks and goes to another house. At the end, they gather in a small mosque and divide the gifts among themselves. This ritual is a little different from the past, because in the past, stones were placed on the head of the trees and fire was lit on top of a mountain so that its light reached all the gardens. The data of this research, which was collected through documents, was then analyzed from the religious and ritual point of view. The results of the article showed that the ritual of Jel Jelani is derived from the Zoroastrian rituals of December, which has many similarities with the Zoroastrian Sedeh and Hirumba festivals and the Muslim half-month ritual of Ramazan, however, the ritual of the half-month of Ramazan has largely preserved its Iranian authenticity and is in line with the needs of gardeners, who are facing the problem of cold mountain cold and frozen trees.