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.

Baluch people live in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan. They are mainly Sunni Muslims and speak Baluchi language.

In an interview with the Tehran Times, Mr. Abdollah Kord the head of the cultural heritage, tourism, and handicrafts department of the city of Mirjaveh in Sistan and Baluchestan province, explained more about Baluchi customs and lifestyle.

Baluch people have certain traditions for wedding and funeral ceremonies, celebrations and child birth, which are still going on in families, Kord explained.

He said that there are some small differences in customs and traditions in different parts of Baluchestan, especially in the cities of Taftan, Mirjaveh, and Khash.

Groom in white, bride in needlework dress

“The wedding ceremony lasts two days and nights. During the first night, which is known as Hana-Bandan, Sorna and Dohol instruments are played and guests are dined with local cuisines,” he said.

The wedding is also celebrated with a lunch feast. The groom wears a white dress and the bride is in light color dress decorated with needlework, he explained.

Funeral ceremony: simply sympathetic

“We have no special ceremony for funerals. After the funeral ceremony, relatives and friends visit the family of the late person and say prayers for the dead one,” Kord said.
 
“No special food or meal is served during the visits,” he explained.

In other parts of Iran, dates and halva are served at memorials and funeral ceremonies.

Hot, different cuisines

He named local Abgusht, Baluchi kashk and Urut Kashk as famous and delicious cuisines of the region.

Kord pointed to Achar, which is made of different spices and wheat, as the main spice for most of their foods.

“There are several communalities between our dishes and Pakistani foods,” Kord added.

Family bonds

“The family structure and relationship still matters between us. We feel responsibility toward family members’ difficulties and problems,” Kord explained.

There are tribes and each village mostly belong to one tribe and each of them has its own graybeard who solve the problems, he added.

He said that people rarely need courts to solve problems and arguments between members of families.

The main Eids

Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim celebration that marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha, the Muslim celebration also known as the Sacrifice Feast, are the main celebrations of people here, Kord said.

Although we respect Noruz, the Iranian New Year, as the national celebration, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are great celebrations for Baluchi people, he said.

Welcoming newborns

Six days after the birth of a baby, the parents cut his/her hair and they sacrifice two sheep for baby boy and one sheep for baby girl and distribute the meat among neighbors and relatives, he explained.

“The names are selected from the Holy Quran and if one of old members of the family suggests a name for the newborn, others accept it,” he said.

SB/MG