Since 2012, the government of Iran has allowed the Iranian people to practice Sigheh, a form of short-term marriage. If people are not sure they are ready for a lifelong commitment, they can try out marriage on a trial basis.
The practice is only allowed in some Shia schools under Sharia Law and can have a duration of anything between just a few hours to several years, all depending on the contract. Many young Iranian couples prefer not to engage in the custom and it is mostly used by young Muslim males who are undertaking a pilgrimage to holy shrines and are away from their families for some time.
Time for Tea
Tea is the Iranian drink of choice and many cups of it are consumed each day. The leaves made their way to Persia on the Silk Road from India and tea was quickly adopted as the national drink. Iran’s entire northern region is suited to growing the crop and millions are employed in the Persian tea industry. The Iranian tea is reddish-brown in color and is typically very strong, although it is not unusual to dilute it with water.
The people of Iran have one of the highest per capita rates of tea consumption in the entire world, therefore it is no surprise that for decades every street has featured a Châikhâne, or Tea House. To this day, these tea houses serve an important social function for older people who go there to sip and chat. The Persian tea is quite bitter, so the custom is to place a sugar cube between your teeth before beginning to sip.
Soccer Sensation
Iranians not only love watching soccer, they are also good at playing it. Their national men’s team has qualified for the World Cup tournament three times and also won three Asian Cup titles. Both men and women enjoy the game, with women storming the field in the traditional hijab.
In 2007, FIFA (the International Federation of Association Football) banned the wearing of a hijab during games. This decision prevented an Iranian women’s soccer team from participating in a qualifier game for the 2012 Olympic. Iran took part in the Olympics for the first time in 1948 and has sent athletes to every Summer games in the years since, except for 1980 and 1994. They also take part occasionally in the winter Olympics since their first appearance in 1956.
No Ties
Ties may not be illegal in Iran, but they are certainly frowned upon. For the past four decades, since the revolution of 1979, ties have become taboo. The Iranians consider the tie to be too closely associated with the West and no one would even consider wearing one to a job interview.
Typical business wear in Iran does include a suit, but it is worn tie-less. The other type of popular clothing is traditional Islamic garb. The Iranian leadership believes that simple garments promote equality because they don’t distinguish between different ethnicities or societal classes. This is also true for women of all ages, who must wear a head covering known as a hijab from the age of nine. That includes foreign women who are visiting the country.
Too Many Holidays?
There are many public holidays in Iran, and Iranians enjoy a whopping 25 days off just for them each year. It may sound nice to be the world leader in public holidays, but there has been concern over the past 30 years that the abundance of holidays may hurt the Iranian economy in its efforts to be relevant internationally. To make matters worse, different unofficial holidays are added to the list every year.
A significant portion of the Iranian holidays are religious and commemorate the birth or death of several Shi’a Imams. The country uses three different official calendar systems, the Solar Hijri calendar, the Gregorian calendar, and the Islamic lunar calendar and the holidays take place according to the lunar calendar. Therefore, the locals have a hard time figuring out exactly when the holidays take place each year and enlist the help of a Muslim cleric who helps calculate the dates for each