Every spring, people in Ab Ask, a village near the northern city of Amol, mark a 600-year-old ceremony called “Varf Chal”, which literally means “snow storing”.

During the event, no man is allowed to stay in the village. They leave the place to go to Varf Chal to carry pieces of frozen snow left from winter, and put them in a ten-meter-deep pit as they believe the snow could provide fresh water for animals and thirsty passersby after being melted in summer.

Various tribes and ethnic groups who live in different parts of Iran are just like colors, which make a great painting. Iran is home to about 20 ethnic groups who live in different regions of the country.

SB/MG