Shast-Sheshi: the Festival of Khordadgan in the Jarquyeh District of Isfahan

Abstract The Shast-Sheshi festival is held annually in the village of Siān, beginning on the sixty-sixth day after Nowruz. This timing matches the ancient Khordadgan festival, celebrated on the sixth day of the month of Khordad, dedicated to the Zoroastrian goddess Khordad. The central rite of Shast-Sheshi was immersion in the now-dry Shāh Chashme spring. Other rites include visits to nearby sacred sites linked to Khordad, the female guardian of water. The festival, drawing thousands from nearby settlements, lasts ten days and features a seasonal fair. Although centered at a Shia shrine complex, it remains a largely secular event. Jarquyeh uniquely preserves this ancient Iranian tradition and shows how forgotten myth can resurface in an unexpected place and time.