Iranians Defy Regime Threats, Celebrate Ancient Fire Festival with Monarchist Chants
On March 17, 2026, crowds across Tehran, Karaj, and other cities gathered for Chaharshanbe Suri, the pre-Islamic Zoroastrian tradition of leaping over bonfires to cast off misfortune and welcome renewal before Nowruz. Despite heavy regime warnings, internet blackouts, arrests, and reports of gunfire, Iranians lit fires in the streets, set off fireworks, danced, and sang openly.
Videos show people in neighborhoods like Chitgar, Ekbatan, and Gohardasht chanting “Long live the Shah,” “Long live Iran,” and the pre-1979 national anthem. In Karaj’s Fardis and Gohardasht areas, gatherings answered Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi’s call for defiant yet peaceful celebration, turning a cultural rite into a clear display of rejection of the Islamic Republic.
The regime arrested alleged “monarchist ringleaders” and tried to suppress the events, but the fires burned anyway. This ancient custom of light triumphing over darkness sent a stark message: after years of repression, many Iranians still choose hope, heritage, and the old symbols of monarchy over the current order.