At its core, the festival is built around rituals of thanksgiving. Farmers gather at dawn to recite prayers, expressing gratitude for the harvest and seeking divine blessings for continued rain—an especially important supplication in this semi-arid region where water scarcity remains a defining agricultural challenge. These ceremonies, often accompanied by traditional Kurdish and Laki melodies, underscore the spiritual dimension of farming in Iran: the awareness that cultivation depends not only on human labor but also on the benevolence of nature and the divine.
Yet beyond the spiritual, the festival also functions as a public demonstration of rural identity. Colorful stands display pyramids of pomegranates, baskets of dried arils, bottles of freshly pressed juice, and jars of rob-e anar (pomegranate molasses), a staple of Iranian cuisine. Young people dressed in regional clothing perform folk dances, while elders recount stories about their ancestors who cultivated pomegranates long before the introduction of modern agricultural tools. In this annual gathering, tradition is not frozen in time but actively practiced, interpreted, and passed on to younger generations.
