TEHRAN – An open-air festival will bring together tens of nature lovers on Friday to mark daffodils, which symbolizes the eye in Iranian culture.

The festival aims to promote travels to the north-central province, traditional cultivation of the daffodils, and local rituals and attractions, a local tourism official said on Wednesday. 

Moreover, there will be performances of traditional, local, and ritual music, handicraft stalls, organic products for sale, and a workshop on daffodils and maintaining them in the garden and apartment during the festival, Maryam Hashemi Motamedi said. 

The ritual of traditional daffodils-planting in Semnan has been inscribed on the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

In Persian culture and literature, the daffodil symbolizes the eye, usually the eye of the beloved. In poetry, the beloved is likened to the daffodil because of its leafless and green stem, which is hollowed out, straw-like, and curved, which is associated with humility and dignity.

Flowers have also thrived into the Persian language. Many girls are named after flowers: Ra’na (Blanket Flowers), Shaghayegh (Anemone), Banafsheh (Violet), Yaasaman (Jasmine), Niloofar (Lotus flower), Nastaran (Eglantine), Laleh (Tulip), Narges (Daffodil), etc.

The main population centers of Semnan province lie along the ancient Silk Road (and modern-day Imam Reza Expressway), linking Rey (Tehran) with Khorasan (Mashhad). While few visitors spend much time in the area, driving through you can easily seek out several well-preserved caravanserais (notably Dehnamak and Ahowan), cisterns (the Cafe Abenbar in Garmsar is a special treat), and ruined mud citadels (Padeh is lumpy but fascinating). The large, bustling cities of Semnan, Damghan, and Shahrud (Bastam) all have a small selection of historic buildings and Semnan has a fine old covered bazaar.

ABU/AFM