پژوهشنامه فرهنگ و ادبیات آیینی
سال دوم شماره 1 (پیاپی 3، بهار و تابستان 1402)

Abstract
Ashura rituals in Iran are very old, and much has been said about cultural and historical contents and roots of these rituals. But what necessitates studying these national rituals is the folkloric characteristics and capacities of each region, which combines the ritual with a particular taste, culture, and geography, and gives it unique indigenous identity. Estahban City is one of the thousands of regions in Iran that has a long history in the field of Ashura mourning rituals. Among these rituals, “Chak–Chako”, “Charcho” and “Sine–Dori” have extreme ritual importance and function in this city. The present research seeks to answer this question that what visual capacities and theatrical aspects do Ashura rituals of Estahban have, emphasizing three above-mentioned rituals? The results indicate that the most important dramatic and executive aspects of these rituals are manifested in the group and rhythmic order and coordination of the participants which evoke a kind of ethnic and social solidarity.

the issue that the present study deals with is the classification of rites of passage in the stories and legends of North Khorasan; By posing these questions, on what basis can the rites of passage be classified in the stories and legends of North Khorasan, and what anthropological and cultural characteristics does each one have? The aim of the present research is to introduce the rites of passage as one of the components of cultural anthropology to researchers in the field of social sciences, literature and history by studying the stories and legends of this area. Investigations in the upcoming research, which were carried out using a descriptive-analytical method and according to Jenp's point of view , indicate that in these stories and legends, the four important components of the rites of passage are birth, puberty, marriage death. According to the stages the transitioner goes through in passing through these components, especially in marriage and death, a cultural model can be achieved. The rituals of marriage in these works are taken from the common life of the people of North Khorasan and are part of its enduring culture, and are a symbol of blessing, many children, great joy and happiness, Also, the influence of agricultural and animal husbandry culture on some collective movements and in large circles is a sign of ethnic unity and convergence. The rites of passage of death are also derived from the religion of the people of this region and are in harmony with their culture

Abstract
Initiation rites are rituals a person goes through to achieve inner growth and maturity, and while getting rid of his former self, he/she can step into the next stage of his life with a refined personality and a new sublime perspective. The story of Khosrow and Shirin, according to Nizami’s narrative, displays many symbols and rituals of initiation. This descriptive-analytical research aims to identify and explain the symbols and rituals of orientation in Nizami’s Khosrow and Shirin. Based on the findings of the research, all kinds of initiation and familiarization rituals, such as vows and prayers, naming, ritual nursing, education, travel, testing, austerity, seclusion, ritual washing, secret learning, and funeral and burial in three stages—break, transition and attachment—can be seen in the four stages of the life (birth, maturity, marriage/kingdom and death) of the two heroes of this story, Khosrow and Shirin.

AbstractGenealogy of Balkh urban culture is in fact a description of the historical course of the metropolis of Khorasan, conducted based on Persian and Arabic works and evidence. This research tries to understand the historical identity of Balkh, which is called the Mecca of Eastern cities, via focusing on the role of religions. In the passing of Balkh through the passage of history, it is difficult to find a better witness than the role of religions, which have established its identity. For this purpose, this article has tried to analyze the role of religions in the urban culture of Balkh by focusing on economic growth, analysis of literary texts, climatic conditions, and political and sociological transformations. Foucault’s genealogical approach is an appropriate model to read our intended history in Balkh to the spread of Islam throughout Khorasan. This approach allows the genealogy of Balkh’s urban culture to be studied in relation to literature, history and religions, in order to determine the role of religions and rituals through genealogical knowledge and know how religion has been able to shape the intellectual horizon, epistemological foundation and unity of identity of the tribes living in Balkh. At the end of the article, it becomes evident that Islam, as the most dominant religion, has played a significant role in the urban culture of Balkh.

Abstract
Ashurai poems are one of the most common types of ritual poetry in which various manifestations of this great event are presented. “The Beginning of the Mirror’s Light” is one of the most important poems of Ali Mousavi Garmaroudi about Ashura and the epic of Karbala, whose linguistic functions have been analyzed, descriptively and analytically, in the following research. The research has been conduced based on one of the models of examining the language of poetry in three layers: outer layer (verbal literary devices), middle layer (figures of speech) and central layer (core of language: meaning). The model is a comprehensive one and has been used in research on stylistics. The findings indicate that this Ashurai stanza has reached relative perfection in all three layers; that is, the poet has mostly focused on the outer layer and benefited from the techniques of prosody, especially “repetition”; furthermore, he has used figures of speech such as simile, metaphor, irony, and symmetry, (especially simile and mostly synesthesia) in a good quantity and quality. This way the poet’s thought has been better conveyed to the reader. In order to deepen the meaning, along with the rhetorical devices, the poet has also used the provisions of Persian grammar, such as assimilation and transposition of sentence elements, improving the poem in terms of “technique” and “meaning” to a significant extent.

Abstract
Persian poetry is one of the most important tools for making people aware of their destiny and encouraging them to be resistant, especially to domestic tyranny and foreign colonialism. The impact of poetry on the world of young adults, who are in the critical period of growth and maturity, is undeniable. One of the types of literature that plays a significant role in shaping the character and identity of young adults is poetry. Apart form  the description of the war and the themes and components related to it such national unity to face the enemy, sacrifice, awareness, resistance, bravery of the warriors and praise for martyrs, Iranian young adults’ resistance poetry describes post-war issues and themes such as waiting for the return of prisoners, the patient life of veterans and captives and their families, and especially pacifism. Using a descriptive-analytical method, this article deals with the content, aesthetic, and linguistic analysis of “Mesle Zohr-e Ashura” (“Like the Afternoon of Ashura”), a collection of poems by Hamid Honarjo. The results of this research show that since this collection is related to the post-war period, the poet expresses themes such as martyrs and martyrdom, the bombing of cities and the martyrdom of mothers and children, as well as remembering martyrs, fighters and veterans. In the aesthetic part, this kind of poetry has taken steps to describe features of resistance in young adults’ poetry using literary devices and innovation, often with tangible and sensual imagery. In the linguistic analysis, words and compounds are examined, which shows compounds are used more than words, because it is much easier for teenagers to convey their intended meaning in one sentence.

Abstract
Popular culture and beliefs are an essential part of the civilization of nations and due to their oral nature, they have continued to live and be dynamic over the centuries, being transferred from one generation to another. Popular culture and beliefs, which have long-standing and ancient roots, are closely related to various cultural manifestations such as myths, epics, and language. In the present research whose purpose was to identify the roots of oath rituals in the public culture of Kermanshah, the author has investigated and analyzed the relation between the common religious and astronomical beliefs of the tribes of Kermanshah (with a focus on Sanjābī, Kalhor and Gūran clans) and mythology, using analytical and field methods. According to the results, respecting the sky and swearing to it, believing in the judgment of the sun and praying to it, swearing by the times of the sun and the moon and the Haftgām oath are the main astrological beliefs in the tribes studied, and these beliefs are rooted in Iran’s mythological beliefs and also Zarvanism, Mehriism and Zoroastrianism. It should be mentioned that Mesopotamian beliefs also influenced the formation of many of these beliefs, and the influence of Islamic beliefs is also evident in later periods.

Abstract
A symbol is one of the meaning-giving elements of language that shows the special capacity of words in depicting multiple and diverse concepts. By reflecting on the poems of the last three decades, we can see that in ritual poetry, symbols are repeated in a chain and lead the audience’s mind to different meanings. In this way, a network of meanings is formed in the audience’s mind. This is where understanding and receiving the symbol is important. This article examines and analyzes the ritual poems of the last decade in terms symbolic network. The research is a descriptive-analytical one based on library sources. How diverse is the symbolic network in ritual poetry? And what is the contribution of these symbols to the semantic network of the poem? The variety of symbols in contemporary ritual poetry can be classified into several clusters named color symbolic cluster, city symbolic cluster, calendar symbolic cluster, and character symbolic cluster. The symbolic context of these poems undoubtedly introduces sublime concepts such as social justice, hope, objection to injustice, and presentation of accurate images of social life.

The war imposed by the aggressive regime of Iraq against Iran prepared the ground for very influential events in the intellectual, cultural, political and social history of Iran. Various aspects of this issue have been represented in poetry and literature, inspiring poets and revolutionary artists to write poems and create seminal works. The purpose of the research is to analyze the intellectual and internal connection of national and religious myths in the poetry of the poets of the first generation of the Revolution. The method of this research, which is a descriptive-analytical one, is based on library sources, where a collection of poets of the first generation of the Islamic Revolution were studied. The findings of the research indicate that revolutionary poets, especially after the outbreak of the war imposed by Iraq, adopted a mythological approach to sacred defense and used national and religious mythical symbols such as Rostam, Arash, Kaveh, Dahhak and also paid attention to the uprising of Imam Hussein and Ashura, the love sacrifice of Ishmael, the story of Khyber and the myth of Imam Ali, Hazrat-e Abbas, etc. to persuade, encourage and praise the heroes and brave men in the battle against wrongdoers. The connection of these myths in their poetry, in addition to its aesthetic function, has been a very suitable tool for explaining the ideal goals and the mission of poetry in attracting, persuading and motivating the audience, hence creating a suitable context for the representation of national and religious heroes.

The Islamic Revolution of Iran had a very deep impact on Persian poetry and prose. One of the dimensions of this influence is the abundant production of religious and ritual poems. Fatimi poetry is one of the sub-branches of religious literature after the revolution, which first appeared in classical forms. After the Islamic revolution, poets such as Qaiser Aminpour and Seyyed Hasan Hosseini used the capacity of Nimai and Azad forms to express religious concepts. Seyyed Hasan Hosseini presented Ashurai and Fatimi poems in the collections “Gonjeshk va Jebreil” (“Sparrow and Gabriel”) and “Az Sharabeha-ye Roosari-e Madaram” (“From the Tassels of My Mother’s Scarf”) respectively. In the current research, “Az Sharabeha-ye Roosari-e Madaram” was examined and analyzed based on the theory of transtextuality. According to the most important results of this research, most of the paratexts of this collection are of the intratextual type of the other person, which have an explicit intertextual relationship with the main text. Also, based on the hypertextual analysis of the poems of this collection, valuation, devaluation, cutting and expansion are the most important aspects used in this collection.

For a long time, rituals, customs and traditions have been very important and valuable for different nations; Iranians rituals have also been universally acknowledged and respected and preserved by Iranians. Adopting an interpretive approach, the present study tries to narrate the role and sociological functions of Iranian rituals in terms of regional peace and security. The theoretical framework of the research is based on a rationalistic approach and is consistent with previous research, observations and experience. The research method is conceptual and descriptive. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Some of the Iranian rituals are deeply rooted in Iran’s culture and are of great value in other countries. Their functions have changed to peace and friendship over time. This study tries to show that Iranian rituals and traditions, in addition to strengthening solidarity, creating cohesion within the country and deepening Iranian identity, have the capacity to create unity with many countries in the world. Paying attention to universal Iranian rituals results in the development of the authority and legitimacy of Iran’s global image. Cultural commonalities rituals can bring security, peace and friendship.

Ritual literature has a long history in the history of Persian literature, which shows the importance of ritual topics and concepts for poets and Persian speakers. In the past, the main theme of ancient religious literature was myths, traditions and cultural customs, but from the Islamic era and especially with the coming of Shia governments, it took on a religious flavor. Regarding the nature of ritual poetry, especially in the contemporary era, definitions have been made that are not usually comprehensive; furthermore, there has not been a precise boundary between ritual poetry and other poetry, and sometimes in the definitions of researchers, ritual literature has been mixed with mystical, religious or didactic literature. In this paper, library research has been used to identify what ritual poetry is and present a more comprehensive definition of ritual literature. In what follows, the most common types of ritual literature are listed. The structure and content of ritual literature are briefly examined.