What it means
سده (sadeh) is the name of an ancient Iranian festival celebrated on the 10th of Bahman, roughly 50 days before Nowruz. The word is pure Persian and is linked to صد (sad), meaning “one hundred,” likely counting 100 days and nights after the start of winter. The festival is marked by lighting enormous bonfires at dusk to push back the cold and darkness of winter. A close cultural parallel is Chaharshanbe Suri, the fire-jumping celebration on the eve of Nowruz, but Sadeh is older and more formally ceremonial.
How to use it
- جشن سده امشب برگزار میشه. (jashn-e sadeh emshab bargozar mishe.) “The Sadeh festival is being held tonight.”
- سده یه جشن آتش قدیمیه. (sadeh ye jashn-e atash qadimiye.) “Sadeh is an ancient fire festival.”
- هر سال جشن سده رو باهم میگیریم. (har sal jashn-e sadeh ro baham migirim.) “Every year we celebrate Sadeh together.”
- میدونستی سده قبل از اسلام بوده؟ (midunesti sadeh qabl az eslam bude?) “Did you know Sadeh existed before Islam?”
Cultural note
Sadeh is one of the oldest festivals in recorded Iranian history, with references appearing in texts from the Sassanid era and in the works of Ferdowsi. Zoroastrian communities in Yazd and Kerman still hold elaborate Sadeh ceremonies each year, gathering around a central bonfire to recite prayers and celebrate the triumph of light over darkness. The festival fell largely out of public observance after the Arab conquest but has seen a modest revival among Iranians who take pride in pre-Islamic heritage.