The Sadeh Festival is one of the Iranian celebrations held at the beginning of the evening of the 10th of Bahman. This festival has a history of thousands of years and is considered one of the oldest Iranian festivals (even older than Nowruz). It is regarded as the festival of the discovery of fire. According to Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, the origin of this festival dates back to the era of Hushang Shah, the second king of the Pishdadian dynasty.

    In ancient Iranian mythological accounts, it is said that while hunting, Hushang Shah saw a long black serpent and threw a stone toward it. The impact of this stone against another caused a spark to form, igniting a dry bush that was there. From that moment on, Iranians began to protect that fire. Zoroastrians celebrate Sadeh by lighting fires and performing prayers.

    The Sadeh Festival of Kerman was registered on the intangible cultural heritage list with the number “40” on Azar 28, 1388 (December 19, 2009). This festival was included in Iran’s intangible cultural heritage list in 2012 and in the intangible cultural heritage list of Iran in Bahman 1398 (January-February 2020).

    The Sadeh Festival was registered as the 24th element of Iran’s intangible cultural heritage at the 18th session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Kasane, Botswana. This significant achievement was accomplished with the collaboration of Tajikistan in preparing and compiling the registration request.