Social and Cultural Manifestations of "Mehregan" and "Sedeh" Celebrations in Kerman Folk Art and Culture

The element that creates a dissimilar spirit of a nation or folk is their common history and memories in a common territory. Thus, the folklore or popular culture of that people, not only the usual and simple rituals and literature, but also expresses the most fundamental principles of insight, way of thinking and how they understand the universe. In fact, folklore describes the social life of that nation. In the territory of Iran, there is a rich heritage of folklore and popular culture that have accumulated and evolved as sedimentary rocks since ancient times. It is imperative for us to identify the roots of popular cultures and the connecting elements of folklore in every corner of this vast land with the fundamental elements of Iranian civilization. The most important document of the ancient Iranian civilization is Ferdowsi's Shāhnāmeh. Ferdowsi's Shāhnāmeh provides us with the best cognitive and comparative tools. Our aim in this study is to observe the dimensions of social and cultural effects of "Mehregan" and "Sedeh" celebrations in Ferdowsi Shāhnāmeh, as a report of the ancient civilization of Iran, and the effect of these dimensions on the popular culture of the people of the province of Kerman. The method used in this research is comparative accomplished via library studies. The results of this study, considering the common manifestations of Shāhnāmeh and folklore of the people of Kerman while studying the celebrations of "Mehregan" and "Sedeh" and the customs of the people of Kerman, indicate that Ferdowsi's Shāhnāmeh, over time, has introduced valuable cultures and rituals of their ancestors and has also provided a common language and understanding between them and other compatriots and even neighboring nations by influencing popular culture.

Research objectives:

1. To study the effects of Ferdowsi's Shāhnāmeh on the culture and popular literature of the people of Kerman province. 2. To recognize the similarities between the cultural and social elements of Shāhnāmeh and the popular culture and customs of the people of Kerman province.

Research questions:

1. Have the different manifestations of Shāhnāmeh been reflected in the popular culture and literature of the people of Kerman province? 2. Is there a similarity between the popular culture and customs of the people of Kerman and the culture and customs in the Shāhnāmeh?