TEHRAN-Special celebrations marking Persian New Year Nowruz and the 100th anniversary of Iran and Hungary official relations were held in Budapest, Hungary, which included a naqqali performance, an ancient Iranian storytelling tradition, by the acclaimed Iranian naqqal Bahareh Jahandoost.

“This year marks the centenary of diplomatic ties between Iran and Hungary. To celebrate the occasion, the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Budapest, in collaboration with the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization, invited me to perform naqqali during the Nowruz festivities in Hungary,” Jahandoost was quoted as saying by IRNA.

She explained that she had three performances in total in Budapest. The first was held at the Iranian Embassy, with ambassadors, diplomatic officials, cultural and academic figures, and Iranian families residing in Hungary in attendance. The second took place at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), organized by the university’s Department of Iranian Studies of the Faculty of Humanities in collaboration with Professor Iván Szántó, a prominent Hungarian Iranologist. The third performance was held at Semmelweis University of Medical Sciences for the university's students.

In all the performances, Jahandoost enchanted the audience with amazing tales of Nowruz from the Shahnameh, the legendary Persian epic by Ferdowsi.

Regarding audience reception, Jahandoost said: “I perform bilingually, in Persian and English, so that non-Iranian audiences can both get familiar with the Persian language and better follow the storyline. This helps them connect more deeply with the narratives. The combination of storytelling and Nowruz traditions gave the audience a fresh perspective on Iranian culture. Many attendees expressed interest in the Persian language, classical Iranian literature, and Nowruz after the performances.”

At the event held at the Iranian Embassy in Budapest, Jahandoost narrated the story of the naming of Nowruz by Jamshid and the love story of Bijan and Manijeh from the Shahnameh, both in Persian and English, which were enthusiastically welcomed by the guests.

Nima Saeed-Moghaddam, an Iranian student in Budapest, accompanied the performance with a solo kamancheh (traditional Iranian bowed instrument) recital.

Additionally, guests were introduced to the Iranian Haft-Seen table and its symbolic meanings and rituals. At the end of the program, Jahandoost also conducted a Hafez divination session.

When asked how she incorporated Nowruz traditions into the naqqali, she said: “To introduce another aspect of Iranian traditions, I ended the programs by introducing the tradition of ‘Hafez divination.’ Interestingly, in Hungary, there was a poet named Mihály Csokonai Vitéz (1773–1805) who wrote poems in praise of Hafez. This connection made the Hafez divination more relatable and appealing to the Hungarian audience, who received it warmly.”

The celebration was attended by ambassadors from countries within the Nowruz cultural sphere, such as Pakistan, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, as well as ambassadors from Russia, China, Belarus, and Japan.

The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Hungary announced that it plans to hold similar events in the future to further strengthen cultural and diplomatic ties between the two countries.

In a separate event, another naqqali performance by Bahareh Jahandoost took place at Eötvös Loránd University, one of Budapest’s oldest and most prestigious institutions. The event was well received by students of Iranian studies and various other disciplines.

Professor Iván Szántó, university professor and head of the Iranian Studies department at ELTE, praised the Shahnameh and Nowruz and called for greater attention by Western universities to Iran’s rich literary heritage.

At this event, Jahandoost not only performed naqqali but also emphasized the themes of peace and the universal message of Ferdowsi’s poetry as key cultural and literary elements of Iran.

Due to the positive response from the Hungarian academic and artistic communities toward naqqali, the Shahnameh, and Nowruz, another event was held at Semmelweis University—the largest medical university in Hungary, which hosts a significant number of Iranian students.

Speaking about her experience performing in a university setting abroad, she remarked: “Contrary to my initial assumption that performing naqqali in an academic setting might be challenging, the atmosphere was actually very welcoming and open to the Shahnameh. Pre-performance introductions helped the audience mentally prepare and engage with the stories.”

“The Shahnameh is a unique literary masterpiece filled with epic, romantic, and mythical stories. Its storytelling style aligns perfectly with narrative traditions worldwide and offers deep insights into Iranian culture, art, and even the governance and political traditions of ancient Persia. From a linguistic perspective, its rhythmic poetic structure makes it ideal for naqqali and elevates it to a top-tier form of global storytelling. As a female naqqal who has performed in many countries, I strive to adapt the language of the stories I select to the cultural context of each audience to facilitate better connection and understanding,” Jahandoost added.

In another cultural initiative for Nowruz, the Museum of Ethnography in Budapest displayed an Iranian qalamkar (block-printed textile) tablecloth from the Qajar era to the public.

Bahareh Jahandoost has been involved in theater since she was seven years old, and she trained with the renowned Iranian naqqal, Morshed Vali-Allah Torabi. Using the traditional form of narrating stories through naqqali theater, she has performed in China, France, Hungary, India, Italy, Russia, and Turkey. 

“I perform publicly by narrating epic stories sourced in classical literature and folk texts. These are popular and widely known, and appreciated throughout Iran. The most fabulous and famous piece of Persian literature is Shahnameh. It is an immensely rich source of seemingly countless tales, both of love and tragedy. I interpret stories using my body: gesticulating and moving, theatrically. What I do educates, entertains, and enlivens people’s imaginations and spirits. I experience profound joy seeing people moved by stories I perform,” she said.

Photo: Iranian naqqal and Shahnameh narrator Bahareh Jahandoost performs naqqali in Budapest, Hungary.

SS/SAB