Mourning ritual and protest
Gisuborān meaning haircutting (Persian:گیسوبران) is one of the mourning rituals in Iranian culture. This ritual gives a sad and emotional state to mourning. In 2022 women in Iran and later internationally used haircutting as a protest against the treatment of women in Iran. The BBC included an unknown woman cutting her hair as one of their 100 Women in 2022.
In Persian literature.
In Shahnameh, written by Ferdowsi, Farangis cut her hair because of her husband's unjust death, named Siyâvash.
This ritual has also been reflected in poems of Hafez, Khaghani and Salman Savaji.
Modern writers like Simin Daneshvar have used this ritual on their metaphors. Simin writes in savushun about a tree named "Gisu tree" (the hair tree) from which women would hang their cut hair.
In culture of Iranic ethnics.
This ritual is alive in culture of Bakhtiari people. Bakhtiari women cut their hair during the mourning ceremony of their elders and trample their hair on the way to the cemetery (to bury the dead). Bakhtiari People call this ritual "Pal Borun". "Pal" means "long hair" and "borun"(cognate with "boran" in Persian) means "cutting". They also have poems that they recite while performing this ceremony.
The Kurds of Iran and the Iranian Lors who are close to them, know this ritual by the name of "Chamar". The dead body is placed in a tent and a horse is decorated and its reins are given to one of the relatives of the died to move towards the tent. As soon as the horse approaches the tent, people start crying and they play a sad song with an instrument called "Chamariyone", which is a type of trumpet, and women cut their hair. These rituals are similar to what was done in the Shahnameh in the story of Siavash's death. The act of "cutting" in this ritual is also known as "Kol".
Gisuboran for Mahsa Amini.
During Iran's nationwide protests 2022, a number of Iranian women cut their hair in a symbolic gesture to protest the death of Mahsa Amini after being arrested by the morality police. Some men also did so to support women.
International reaction.
Users of TikTok and other platforms performed this ritual to sympathize with Iranians.
The BBC included an unknown woman cutting her hair as one of their 100 Women in 2022.
References.
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