Mithraism in the mourning culture of the inhabitants of the mountainous region of Zagros

Among the inhabitants of the Iranian provinces of Lorestan, Kermanshah and Ilam, there is a mourning ritual Chamari, held for three to seven days in memory of the deceased. From Persian, “chamar” translates as “obviousness”, “appearance”, “environment”, “circle” and “everything related to the circle”. There are other interpretations of the term “chamar” - “waiting” for his traveler, or “bending with grief”. The roots of the Chamari ritual are associated with Mithraism. The purpose of this study is to study and identify the origins of the cult of the Sun/Mithraism in the ritual of mourning of the inhabitants of the mountainous region of Zagros. The signs and symbols of the Sun cult are preserved today in many customs, traditions and lifestyles of Iranians, but they have undergone some transformations and adopted the symbols of the Islamic faith, which gave them a new life after the establishment of Islam. The source of this research is ethnographic materials and folklore legends about the epic hero of Shahnamah – Siavash. The subject of the analysis is the symbolic signs of the “sun”, such as the “chuga” robe and the image of a lion, which are used in the mourning ritual of the Zagros peoples. As a result of the study, the signs of Mithraism in the modern ritual of mourning among the peoples of the Zagros are revealed.