بهمن

The fact that the month-name carries a Yazata of good thought, an avalanche, a revolution, and a popular boy's name says a lot about how Persian time-words layer. Classical poetry uses بهمن mostly for cold and storm; modern Iranian historical writing uses it almost entirely for the date 22 Bahman. The state has invested heavily in claiming the entire month rhetorically, with murals, broadcast specials, and school programs each year. For ordinary Iranians, بهمن remains a month of cold, of preparing for Nowruz, and of an anniversary that is felt differently in different households.