TEHRAN – Persian storytelling was inscribed on the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list on Tuesday.

It was registered on the list by a collaborative effort of the Institute of Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults – Kanoon, and the Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Ministry.

“Heartbeat of a mother is the first story people hear at the beginning of their lives, therefore children enjoy the peace of hearing their heartbeats in mothers’ arms,” Kanoon deputy director Farhad Fallah said in a special ceremony during the institute organized to announce the registration of Persian storytelling on the list.

He called storytelling the mother of all arts and said that Kanoon has always been a place for creating stories and storytelling. He also said that Kanoon’s centers began their daily activities on Tuesday with storytelling to celebrate the occasion.   

Kanoon is the organizer of Iran’s International Storytelling Festival, whose 24th edition was held in January.

In its next edition, Fallah said that the festival will aim to bring storytelling into the public domain to institutionalize it.

On his part, Alireza Tabesh, an advisor to the Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Ministry, said, “Inscribing Persian storytelling on the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list reminds all Iranians to pay attention to this issue.”

“Literature and storytelling are parts of our national identity and cultural attractions and we should teach the capacity and elegance of them to the younger generations,” he added.

The ceremony ended with honoring children’s writer Mostafa Rahmandoost for his contributions to Iran’s International Storytelling Festival and writer Ali Khanjani for his 16-volume series “Yalda Storiology”. 

Iran plans to register the 30th of Azar on its national calendar as a day of stories and storytelling based on a proposal from Kanoon. 

The first step was taken in May 2021 after the General Culture Council of Iran approved the proposal for this issue.

The final decision will be made at the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution.

The 30th of Azar on the Iranian calendar is the last day of autumn, the evening of which is celebrated by Iranians as the ancient tradition of Yalda Night. Storytelling by parents and grandparents is a key element of the celebration.

Yalda Night is considered the longest night of the year when the ancient Iranians celebrated the birth of Mithra, the goddess of light. It is also known as Chelleh Night, which alludes to the first 40 days of winter, considered to be the harshest of the season.

Photo: A storyteller performs during a ceremony at Kanoon in Tehran on June 13, 2023 to announce the registration of Persian storytelling on the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list. (Kanoon/Mahbubeh Kiai)

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