Rite Arus Guleh

The traditional itinerant representation "arus guleh" is among the ancient mythological representations of the agricultural prayer rituals linked to the beginning of spring and the arrival of the New Year in the Gilan region and to the west of the Māzandarān region.
This representation has three main characters: "pir bābu", "ghul" and "nāz khānom": pir bābu is a person who is dressed like an old man, in one hand has a handkerchief and in the other the bag to defend himself. Ghul is a sturdy young man whose face is dyed black with coal dust or soot, a paper hat, hay, or a strange paper on his head, some broom like a tail behind his pants, and a large bunch of stems. buckets, a shawl on the back, the belly and chest and some large bell or bolt hanging on the back, legs and clothes; all this gives it a scary appearance.
In some villages are also placed two cow horns on his head and his face is put a thick black beard while the role of nāz khānom makes him a young woman wearing a dress.
The theme of this cheerful representation of the square is the quarrel between ghul and pir bābu for nāz khānom that ends in killing the two. Ghul represents darkness and winter and pir bābu is the symbol of gardening and he who offers the bride of the flower to nature and people.
In this killing ghul is the winner and together with nāz khānom dancing completes the representation. The other members of it are: the one who carries the lamp, the one who bears a weight, the musician and kās khānom as protector of the bride and some people as extras.
The dialogues between these characters take place in the context of poetry and representation together with the cheerful folk songs.

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