The Koozeh-Shekani ceremony in South Khorasan is one of the nearly forgotten traditions that took place on the last Wednesday of the year, known as "Charshanbe Suri," in this province. Alongside customs such as jumping over bonfires (called "Tousho"), and the celebration of Dehqan (peasant) Festival, Koozeh-Shekani has been prevalent in this region. Koozeh-shekan is an ancient official tradition in this part of Iran.
Symbolically, the concept of the Koozeh-Shekani ceremony resembles the celebration of Nowruz (Persian New Year) since it signifies the replacement of the old with the new, the past with the present, and the transition from bad times to good times. In ancient times, it was a common practice in many cities of South Khorasan province that on the last Wednesday of the year, people would break old pots and jars. These were the ones that no longer held cold water or had algae growing inside them, turning them green. Some families would put a small amount of charcoal inside these pots to symbolize bad luck, coins for increased fortune and livelihood, and salt as a sign of sharp vision. Before breaking the pot, they would turn it around the heads of all family members. Afterward, the pot would be handed over to the woman of the house, who would go to the rooftop or the top of the house and throw the pot down to the ground, causing it to break. Some also poured dominant crops of that time, such as barley, wheat, or beans, into the pot so that after its breaking, there would be a treat available for the birds.
The ceremony was conducted in the following manner: in the evening of Wednesday, people would bring some firewood with them to the rooftop, and they would also pour water into the pot. Then they would empty a portion of the water from the pot into the four corners of the empty rooftop, and subsequently, they would throw the pot down from the top of the house, breaking it. Simultaneously with breaking the pot, they would recite these verses:
My pain and affliction are to be poured into the pot (Koozeh),
Oh, the pain and affliction of the pot are to be throwed down the narrow alley (Koocheh)
Please note that the last verse is a play on words, as "koozeh" means "pot" and "koocheh" means "narrow alley."
Or the following couplet:
"Go sorrow, come joy; Go hardship, come sustenance."
This action has its roots in the belief of the people of South Khorasan that by breaking the pot and disposing of the misfortune and calamity poured into it, happiness and blessings will come to them. Another reason for this practice was the daily use of unglazed pots for drinking water and storing food. They believed that using a pot without glaze for more than a year would result in unhygienic conditions and could lead to illness due to the impurities absorbed by the pot's walls.
Some believe that Koozeh-Shekani, breaking the pot, was one of the reasons for the flourishing of pottery art in this region. Since people extensively used pottery in their daily lives, by breaking old pots, they would need to purchase new ones for food and water storage. At the end of the Koozeh-Shekani ceremony, the people of South Khorasan would fill their new and clean pots of the water of spring of the qanat (underground water channel) and bring it joyfully to their homes, placing it on the Haftsin table (a traditional table set for Persian New Year celebrations).
It is said that the tradition of Koozeh-Shekani dates back to the Qajar era, and during that time, a romantic meaning was also added to this ritual. According to that, families who had an marriageable daughter would tie a handkerchief to the handle of the pot and give it to the girl to throw from the rooftop into the alley. If a young man was in love with the girl of that house, he would pick up the handkerchief from the alley and come to propose to her with it. However, the main purpose of this ritual was to instill in people the habit of not using contaminated pots. But over time, with this touch of love, the Koozeh-Shekani tradition became more attractive to the people of that time. After a few days, the suitor would come with the handkerchief, a box of sweets, and a fresh pot in hand, accompanied by his family, to propose to a girl whose pot had been broken.
Koozeh-Shekani ceremony is a festive and enthusiastic ritual. This ceremony was registered in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Iran under number 817 on Bahman 4, 1391 (Iranian calendar). This ceremony is held annually on the last Thursday of the year locally in the city of Ghayenat and symbolically in Akbarieh World Garden in Birjand. Since Esfand (March) holds a special place for the people of Birjand, not only do they Koozeh-Shekani during this month, but they also perform other rituals such as Sarsouzi planting, Samanu cooking, Shah-Moulai ceremony, Hanabandan, Nanpazan (bread baking), Rig and Koozeh, Shirinipazan (sweet cooking), Debt payment, and Fatiha recitation, alongside cleaning the house and preparing traditional snacks on the eve of Eid.