One of the favorite celebrations for the Iranian people is the Festival of Fire, which takes place on the eve of the last Wednesday before Nowruz. It's a prelude to Nowruz, which is the Iranian new year, and the first day of spring, which begins on March 20.     Participants celebrate by jumping over bonfires and fireworks as a symbolic purification for the oncoming spring and the Persian New Year.  People gather by the fire, jump over seven small piles of fire, and say to the fire, "give me your handsome red color and take back my unhealthiness." The holiday is derived from the ancient Persian faith of Zoroastrianism, and there are many different traditions practiced on this night in different cities.  One is the buying of a special mix of sweets and nuts, which is done in most cities.  It's considered a fun activity and is done after the night's fire-jumping.  It's similar to...(Read Full Post)