شمع

Outside the poetic register, شمع has a strong religious presence in Iranian life. Candles are lit at shrines, especially at the tombs of saints and imams, and at the festival of Chaharshanbe Suri (the night before the last Wednesday of the Iranian year) candles are part of the table layout. Candles are also lit at the Haftsin table for Nowruz. The same word covers all of these uses. A learner who only knows شمع as the poetic figure is missing its everyday warmth. A learner who only knows it as the birthday candle is missing the long literary tradition that shapes how Iranians read it in songs and films.