Wharf Chal, the largest period of Amoli to overcome the drought

Worf Chal (Snow Pit) is a Mazandari word meaning a well that the people of Ab Esk village dig every year on one of the days of May and fill it with snow. This ritual is held in an area called Ask Wash. Traditionally, except for a few years in the last decade, it was held on a Friday. The month of April takes on a different color and flavor for the Diyar Bam roof of Iran. Everything can be seen from the outpouring of male and female vibrancy in the village of “Ab Esk” of Larijan mountain district of Amol city.
The second month of every year is memorable for water skiers. A memory of more than 600 years of the Islamic Hijri, a memory of cooperation and cooperation to establish the ritual of “Warf Chal” and a memory of a one-day experience of women’s domination over the village, known as “Zan Shahi”.

Ritual mixed with religion

It all started on a day in May around 6 centuries ago. This is what the elders of Ab Esk village say. Amir Fakhrian, who is about to enter his eighth decade. He considers the Barf Chal ritual to be the most important ritual left in the village of Ab Esk, which the passage of time has not been able to change the way it is held.

He told ISNA reporter: “Worf Chal” ritual started about 600 years ago. Its initiator was Imamzadeh “Seyd Hasan Wali”, one of the descendants of Imam Hassan Mojtabi (a.s.).

Although Fakhrian is not able to explain the historical details of this ritual. But the head of the Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department of Amol city confirmed the fusion of this ritual in the public opinion of the people of the region with religion. He said: It is narrated that Imamzade Seyyed Hasan Vali was moving from Varamin to “Nyak” in Larijan. which happened to people who were digging a water well in the area of ​​”Ask Wash”.

in search of water

Mehdi Bahmani added: This noble character will ask them the reason for this work. They say that they chose some places to dig wells to supply water to their fields and cattle. But no matter how hard they dug, they did not reach the water and their efforts were fruitless.

He continued: According to the narrations, Seyyed Hasan Vali marks a place with a cane in his hand. He tells the people present that if they do there, They reach the water and after digging a few meters, they realize that water has gushed out from the ground.

Bahmani said: This caused the people of the region, including the village of Ab-Esk, to perform a ritual called Worf Chal every year in the area of ​​Esk-Vash around Mount Damavand. which is actually to honor the event that happened with the marking of Imamzadeh Seyyed Hasan Vali’s cane.

Worf Chal

Worf Chal is a Mazandarani word and means a well that the people of Esk village dig every year on one of the days of May and fill it with snow.

This ritual is held in an area called Ask Wash. Traditionally, except for a few years in the last decade, it was held on Friday.

The reason for changing the day of holding this ritual, other than Friday, was the influx of non-natives and non-local people to the region. The belief of the people of Esk village caused the tradition of holding to go out of the normal and usual routine. With this description, this year, the celebration of the ritual returned to Friday the 15th of May to preserve the ruling tradition.

Ab Esk village is located at about 90 km of Haraz road. The route leading to Esk Vash also passes through Rineh city, Spa and Lar region in the heights of Damavand peak.

After the announcement of the time of the Warf Chal ceremony by the Islamic Council of the village and the special board of trustees for holding this ceremony, the effort to hold it in the village of Esk begins.

Pilgrimage to Astana Seyyed Hasan Vali, an introduction to holding rituals

According to the old belief, the people of Esk village go to Astana Seyyed Hasan Vali in the village of “Niyak” one day before the Wharfchal ceremony. Niyak is a village near the village of Esk.

Seyyed Hasan Vali Shrine is located in the heart of the green, mountainous and historical village of Niak with narrow alleys and many ups and downs. Thursday evening before the Wharf Chal ceremony is the meeting place of the people of the region.

On this day, the people of Ab Esk village go to Astana Seyyed Hasan Vali with offering trays decorated with local foods and dates. While paying respect to this descendant of Imam Hassan Mojtabi (AS), they give charity for their dead.

“Saqa Hassanzadeh”, the servant of Astana, Seyyed Hasan Vali, told ISNA reporter about this: that he knows Warf Chal well. It shows a cane with which Imamzade Seyyed Hasan Wali showed the people of the region where to dig a well. It is still kept as a souvenir in his tomb.

He adds: Imamzade Seyyed Hasan, but with this cane, the place of the well where the men have to fill the well with snow on the day of the burial. had specified and people who come here for pilgrimage and to obtain permission to hold the Wharf Chal ceremony. They are served with tea, fruit and local bread.

He continues: The people of Niyak make local bread two days before the arrival of skiers. They provide cheese and welcome the water skiers. This was an official that was founded by Imamzade Seyyed Hasan Wali and it continues.

The night of Worf Chal is longer than the night of Yalda

Aunty of respect, one of the women of Esk village who has seen the pit for several decades and is a resident of this village. He says: On Thursday evening and in the last hours before the Wharf Chal ceremony, Ab Esk village becomes more crowded than normal days of the year. All people who have some kind of close and distant family relationship become guests of this village.

He added: A group of women of this village prepare for the ceremony by baking local bread and traditional sweets a few days before the ceremony. Normally, this work is divided among the women of the three big clans of Esk village, including the Amir, Darzi and Qadi clans.

He continued: Among the young couples who recently started living together in this village. By baking a special pastry that is customary with colored strings and boiled eggs. They participate in the ceremony so that everyone knows who just started their life together.

Aunty Tashab says: The night before the Wharf Chal ceremony, the newlyweds take these special foods to the groom’s house as a gift along with their relatives. They welcome the groom’s family with the sweets they put in the tray. The rest of the sweets are given to the groom to take to the squash area on Friday. After the ceremony, he will entertain the people.

He added: The night before the Wharf Chal ceremony is a long night for the people of Ab-Esk. Even longer than Yalda night and people are still struggling until late at night. Sometimes they hold a party and gather together. And in a way, on this night, everyone is friends with each other and they treat each other with warmth and are happy.

royal woman

On the morning of the Worf Chal ceremony in Ab Esk village, the people of Niak village take bread for Ab Esk, which is a kind of offering bread.

According to ancient customs, the Worf Chal ceremony in Amel is held only with the presence of men, and no woman has the right to attend it. On this day, no man has the right to stay in the village. Of course, the women of the village will not give this permission to any man.

On this day, skiing women stay in the village. Men leave the village after the Barfchal ceremony. This is how the women of the village have temporarily taken over the affairs of the village and the so-called government. And they implement the “Zan Shahi” program among themselves.

The women of Ab Esk village choose a ruler from among themselves to realize their goal. To organize the government system that has been temporarily established in the village. This ceremony continues until around noon and ends with the reception of the guests with various traditional dishes that are collected based on the offerings.

King’s Choice

One of the women of Ab Esk village says about this: On this day, women gather in the village square. And they choose 6 to 7 people from among themselves as king, minister and watchman.

Jamila Ghorbani told ISNA reporter: They don’t allow any man to enter the village with local and masculine clothes. At the entrance of the village, if a man tries to enter, the women beat him with sticks and clubs.

According to him, the Zan Shahi ceremony will be held until the end of the Men’s Warf Chal ceremony with the performance of happy and fun programs. Traditional rituals, distribution of cooked food and souvenirs of the new bride continue.

Digging a well by men

Men going to the Esk Wash area. Before doing anything, they dig a well that is about 10 meters deep and one meter wide. After that, they go to Damavand mountain. By digging the frozen pieces of snow and carrying it for about a kilometer, they bring it to the place of the dug well and pour it into the well to fill it.

The organizers of this ritual believe that by pouring snow into the well, the water needed by the people of the region, including the herdsmen and passers-by, will be supplied in the hot season of the year.

One of the characteristics of this ceremony is the presence of people of different ages, each person digs snow according to his age and strength and carries it to the well. After filling the well with snow, the men present in this ceremony spread a large table next to it. They celebrate by eating the traditional foods they brought with them.

As usual, every skier who goes to this event brings food for 10 other people. So that if there are guests present in the ceremony, they will receive them.

Register Warf Chal in the list of spiritual works

The General Department of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism of Mazandaran has announced that this traditional and religious practice was registered in the country’s spiritual heritage list about a decade ago. This general administration participates with the people of Esk village every year during this ritual. Of course, the initial efforts in the form of a proposal to register it in the list of ancient rituals have been universalized, but some more important works and rituals in the province are waiting. After that, the registration of this ritual will be followed.

The people of Mazandaran have many traditional rituals, many of which have been forgotten over time.

The traditional ritual of Worf Chal along with other ancient rituals of this province such as Tirmah Sizdeh Show and Nowruz Khoani are still held. However, their continuation along with the revival of other rituals that are a part of the identity of the people of Mazandaran, requires the great efforts of cultural institutions.