Tirgan refers to an ancient Persian festival traditionally held in the month of July, which coincides with the 4th month of the Persian calendar Tir Mah. This year, IrNUT (Iranian Network at University of Twente) decided to bring this event to the UT and allow locals to enjoy the Water Feast full of water games, food and drinks and the whole afternoon of dance and music.
History of Tirgan
The history of Tirgan dates back to pre-Zoroastrian times. Tirgan was celebrated for different reasons among Iranians and there are many legends associated with the origin of the festival. First of all, Tirgan was the day dedicated to ‘Tir or Tishtar’, the God of Rain, and it was celebrated by Iranians to respect the God and pray for a year without drought.
Tirgan is also associated with the legend of arrow (‘Tir’) , a reference to a Persian story of Arash, who was supposedly the best Iranian archer of ancient times. According to the story, Arash was chosen to settle a dispute between two lands, Iran and Turan. He was asked to discharge an arrow from a mountain. Wherever the arrow would land, would lie the border between the two kingdoms. The arrow´s flight lasted from the dawn of day until noon and when it finally landed, Iran could rejoice in gaining more land.
Water games
Whether the legend is true or not, the summer festival surely took place at the right moment. The beginning of the summer in Enschede was announced by a few days long heat wave, and so water games associated with Tirgan were definitely the perfect way to celebrate the start of the summer break.
