The story of Naneh and kashfe hijab that Mother told me
My mother had a Nanny, called Naneh. She loved her and this Naneh stayed in our family forever. Her daughter was called Khale Shokat and daughters Parvin, Zari and Mehri were our friends. Zari was crazy and would look at the stars and call them javooneh1; I now call my cousin Shirin who is a star in my eyes "javooneh." I used to iron my white ribbon with Mehri on the samavar (tea maker) before going to school. Part of our uniform was a white ribbon (ahari).
Mother told me the story of Naneh on the day Reza Shah announced women should not wear a veil anymore. I remember mother was almost in her dying bed at my brother Farzad's house in Reston Virginia and we were looking outside the window at the birds. She said this neighbour is getting all the birds, Farzad should buy a bird feeder and attract all the birds to his house. I was so sad and busy with washing her clothes and going 3 stories down to the basement then bringing ensure and some fruit 3 stories up to her and she not eating anything. She was in bed with cancer at almost last stages and I was driving everyday for a month or two from Falls Church to take care of her. My brother Farzad would say "we have everything for mother we just don't have Adam!" In Iran we used to call the servants, Adam, I don't know why!
So I was the Adam those days. I wasn't listening and asking what do you want now? Should I bring some ice with it? would you drink it then? She said no listen to me. I want to tell you a story and I want you to write it down. I know you are a good writer and one day you will be (I repeated in my brain, president of the world!) She used to say that always, sometimes I think she used to say that to each and everyone of us! Anyway I was folding clothes and could listen. I said I will if you eat something. She said don't say shabby dabby things (chartopart nagoo). I said o.k tell me.
She said when the radio announced that no woman should ever go outside with a chador (the cover as hijab religious women use to wear) we first had difficulty sending somebody to buy Maman (my grandma, her mother) a hat, so that she would wear that from then on. Then the next day we saw Naneh sitting next to the door and crying. We said what is wrong she said I want to go to the public bath (hamam oomoomi) and I used to put my clothes in a bag under my arm and under my chador and go there, now how am I GOING TO TAKE A BATH? The whole house gathered and said what are we going to do with Naneh and how are we going to take her to hamam? It was 3 blocks away. My grandpa never drove in his life. He had a servant and a pishkar (a secretary?) called Foolad Khan. They asked Foolad khan to accompany Naneh, to take her to public bath. Naneh would not set her foot outside the house. She thought she was naked and also God would take her to hell. She was so uncomfortable and she was crying.
My mother was telling me the rest of the story, but my mind was somewhere eles. She just solved a long time question I had. You see my mother never wore a chador, you saw her picture in Abadan dancing in a bashgah, but she would ALWAYS wear a chador to public bath. I used to ask myself what is so precious and MOGHADDAS about hammam that she only wears a chador there. Now I got it, since she loved Naneh so much, the way she got hurt affected her so much that she, in a subconscious revenge, always wore a chador to public bath. That is why anything mandatory is wrong. Hijab should be a choice. I will NEVER understand those who choose to have hijab, make their hands unavailable and make movement and life harder, but those like Naneh who want to have a choice of having it, should have it.
I don't know if mother wanted me to write it this way but if I had to tell that story, this is the way I would write it, now my brother on behalf of my mother could write a comment and criticize me.. You see I have become zede zarbe2 after what I heard on this radio and that, on this divorce and that, on this regime and that! Women of the world,unite and ask for choice not dictation of some old rules upon you.
Kashfe hijab refers to the mandatory removing of the veil (a law imposed to Iranian women by Reza Shah Pahlavi).
1. Javooneh - the young one.
2. Zede zarbe - nothing can bend me.
by Guest Author in cry of the peacock at April 7, 2005 01:58 PM
Mother told me the story of Naneh on the day Reza Shah announced women should not wear a veil anymore. I remember mother was almost in her dying bed at my brother Farzad's house in Reston Virginia and we were looking outside the window at the birds. She said this neighbour is getting all the birds, Farzad should buy a bird feeder and attract all the birds to his house. I was so sad and busy with washing her clothes and going 3 stories down to the basement then bringing ensure and some fruit 3 stories up to her and she not eating anything. She was in bed with cancer at almost last stages and I was driving everyday for a month or two from Falls Church to take care of her. My brother Farzad would say "we have everything for mother we just don't have Adam!" In Iran we used to call the servants, Adam, I don't know why!
So I was the Adam those days. I wasn't listening and asking what do you want now? Should I bring some ice with it? would you drink it then? She said no listen to me. I want to tell you a story and I want you to write it down. I know you are a good writer and one day you will be (I repeated in my brain, president of the world!) She used to say that always, sometimes I think she used to say that to each and everyone of us! Anyway I was folding clothes and could listen. I said I will if you eat something. She said don't say shabby dabby things (chartopart nagoo). I said o.k tell me.
She said when the radio announced that no woman should ever go outside with a chador (the cover as hijab religious women use to wear) we first had difficulty sending somebody to buy Maman (my grandma, her mother) a hat, so that she would wear that from then on. Then the next day we saw Naneh sitting next to the door and crying. We said what is wrong she said I want to go to the public bath (hamam oomoomi) and I used to put my clothes in a bag under my arm and under my chador and go there, now how am I GOING TO TAKE A BATH? The whole house gathered and said what are we going to do with Naneh and how are we going to take her to hamam? It was 3 blocks away. My grandpa never drove in his life. He had a servant and a pishkar (a secretary?) called Foolad Khan. They asked Foolad khan to accompany Naneh, to take her to public bath. Naneh would not set her foot outside the house. She thought she was naked and also God would take her to hell. She was so uncomfortable and she was crying.
My mother was telling me the rest of the story, but my mind was somewhere eles. She just solved a long time question I had. You see my mother never wore a chador, you saw her picture in Abadan dancing in a bashgah, but she would ALWAYS wear a chador to public bath. I used to ask myself what is so precious and MOGHADDAS about hammam that she only wears a chador there. Now I got it, since she loved Naneh so much, the way she got hurt affected her so much that she, in a subconscious revenge, always wore a chador to public bath. That is why anything mandatory is wrong. Hijab should be a choice. I will NEVER understand those who choose to have hijab, make their hands unavailable and make movement and life harder, but those like Naneh who want to have a choice of having it, should have it.
I don't know if mother wanted me to write it this way but if I had to tell that story, this is the way I would write it, now my brother on behalf of my mother could write a comment and criticize me.. You see I have become zede zarbe2 after what I heard on this radio and that, on this divorce and that, on this regime and that! Women of the world,unite and ask for choice not dictation of some old rules upon you.
Kashfe hijab refers to the mandatory removing of the veil (a law imposed to Iranian women by Reza Shah Pahlavi).
1. Javooneh - the young one.
2. Zede zarbe - nothing can bend me.
by Guest Author in cry of the peacock at April 7, 2005 01:58 PM
posted by roya parsay at 10:35 PM
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5 Comments:
Since Kian asked I explain some about FOOLAD KHAN, HIS name IS PECULIAR MEANS Iron mixed with something else. He would do all odd jobs for my grand pa till the end. His wife Ferdous khanoom used to do this special ritual of breaking an egg to see who had an evil eye on you. Here is how it went, Ferdous khanoom would sit down in the balcony and would have her bright color chador on with an egg and two coins (like dime) on each side of an egg, one on top and one on bottom,then she would start saying names which usually start with in-lawes,thinking they are the guilty ones who give you an evil eye,like when we knock wood here! and at one name the egg would burst and the yellow part would spread and that person will be the one to blame who did evil eye on you (chesmet zade) and cost the unlucky event that just happened to you!! Foolad khan was very thin and Ferdous khanoom was very fat. Foold khan would witness the wills people wrote thru my grand pa and was a faithful helper! I never saw them again after my grand pa's death which is when I was at the last year of highschool, but Naneh's children till last day that my grand ma was alive would come and get their salary from her ,thou they did not work for her physically anymore. That was a trust and social security going on among good peopel!
Naneh was from Kermanshah,mother was born there but raised in Tehran
I have posted this story first on cry of peacock site that is a link under converstion with roya site.there I got 35 comments and discussion went to evil eye and this is what I posted:
etdaxi ,the more we talk the more I remember,reading the above commnent I remember 2 things; 1-khale shokat,Naneh's daughter used to tell me be careful and dont sleep with your husband on full moon days or maybe she meant met the days an Imam or prophet died! The baby would of been malformed per her belief(shabe ghadr)!! Also I have a Mexican relative and she says dont throw salt at me when she means dont have an evil eye on me(mara cheshm nazani!!) I myself have a blue evil eye that a friend brought from Turkey cause its big,pretty and cute and is hanging above the door !!
That relative is Claudia,Shahram's wife!! since a man on the other site ws talking about his mexiacan wife and babies and evil eye......
Thank you for the nice story my friend ;-)
Salam Roya joon chetory
Dishab raftam sightet ro khoondam come on!!! avalesh khoob shorookardy vali yavash yavash ke politics oomad tookaar dige nashod, maa nistim , sorry man hamintory comment midam ,maa hoseleye dardesar nadaarim .
Tavalode Babak mobarak ! yek pesare dige ham ke ezafe shod!! boobool talaa!!!
Raasty yek nafare dige ham be sighte to comment daad!! Mehry khaale shokat,aakhe mehry miyaad khooneye maa, parastaare kamrane!!! man aksesho didam behesh neshoon daadam ,goft vaay vaay torokhodaa begoo akse maaro va maadaramo bardaare,aakhe maadaram raazi nist chon ,baahejaabe, va ( dont laughat my word) mehry khanoom va Parvine khaaharesh hardo baa hejaab shodan ,va dar jalesaate roze va eslaami sherkat mikonan, haalaa khod daany....
hame khooban va salam miresoonan agar akse khoob va jaaleb didam baraat miferestam vali faghat ,honary, boos booss love you
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