Fire Jumping for Persian New Year

My husband is the expert on the traditions he grew up with in Iran. Persian new year is a big deal - like our Christmas. Persian new year is coming up this month. But before the new year there is the fire jumping tradition. It is always the Wednesday before the main event that actually lasts two weeks, and is also the last Wednesday of the year. When our grandson was small and we all lived in Capitol Hill, our son would set up the little bonfire and all the kids would safely jump over the flame. We also went to one of the teacher’s homes one year, and another year someone else had it at their house. All the neighborhood kids and classmates would join in. It was another way to share traditions with everyone. So when we moved to northern Virginia three years ago we put our tiny ethanol fueled stainless steel fireplace on the patio. We don’t use it anymore. But we have a small can of wax that can be placed on the metal grill that serves as our “bonfire.” So last night we did the same as last year and lit the fire for a few minutes - just to have a sense of the holiday. I’m too lazy to read about the detail of the night, but it’s fun to celebrate.