Sahar, the Pre-Dawn Moment
Everyone has a name to identify with. When babies are born, their parents give a name to them to not only create a legal identity (i.e. for birth certificate document) but to also embody the traits that are meaningful to their parents. There are many ways to choose a baby name, for example selecting a name from the parents’ family trees that have played a meaningful role in their lives. Another common method parents use to choose a baby name is to select a name based on their favorite artists, writers, or characters from novels, movies, and plays. Others choose a name that is based on their heritage, nationality, or ethnic background. Some even select names based on figures from history or mythology. When I think about baby names, I realize that no matter what culture the baby is born in, the parents will select a name that represents the characteristic that they wish their child to have in the future.
In the Persian culture, which I was born in, parents usually select names that are grand, such as names of heroes, religious icons, and natural motifs (i.e. spring, sea, stars). My parents give me the name Sahar, which in the Persian language means the time right before dawn. This moment is around 5-10 minutes before sunrise, when the day has not completely begun and the night is not completely over. Some Persians believe that Sahar is a sign that means balance in life. This is similar to how the Yin (darkness) and Yang (light) implies balance in the Chinese culture. There is an old saying in Persian that states whoever wakes up during Sahar will be successful that day.
In my religion, which is Islam, Sahar is also considered to be an important period of the day. Muslims usually wake up during this time to perform their morning prayers. In our holy book the Koran, God said that praying during this time bring blessings for people. As you might know, Koran was written in the Arabic language so the word Sahar is Arabic, but it gradually came in to the Persian language. The word Sahar is used a lot in Persian poems and it is used to describe the spiritual aspect of the pre-dawn moments. The interesting thing is that although the word Sahar is an old name, past Persians didn’t select this name for their babies because the word Sahar just meant a period of time which people usually did their morning prayers.
Baby names go through trends, much like fashion or for that fact, anything else that the human mind can fathom. What is popular this decade might not be popular the next. For example, “in America during the 1950’s names like Deborah, Mary, and Barbara were popular but in the 1970’s, the popular names were Jennifer, Amy, and Melissa” (Most Popular Names by Year). I don’t know the reason why Iranians started to choose Sahar as a name for girls. The name Sahar became popular with Persians roughly twenty years ago, so it’s kind of new name in the Persian culture.
Besides these reasons, the most important factor in my parents’ decision to choose the name Sahar for me is that I was born during the Sahar time frame. There is no doubt as to why my parents chose this name for me. I think the name that my parents chose is very appropriate for me, because it represents my culture, my religious, and the time that I was born. I am really happy with my parent’s choice because the name is a fairly new and trendy name in the Persian culture and this will make me feel young even when I get old.
In the Persian culture, which I was born in, parents usually select names that are grand, such as names of heroes, religious icons, and natural motifs (i.e. spring, sea, stars). My parents give me the name Sahar, which in the Persian language means the time right before dawn. This moment is around 5-10 minutes before sunrise, when the day has not completely begun and the night is not completely over. Some Persians believe that Sahar is a sign that means balance in life. This is similar to how the Yin (darkness) and Yang (light) implies balance in the Chinese culture. There is an old saying in Persian that states whoever wakes up during Sahar will be successful that day.
In my religion, which is Islam, Sahar is also considered to be an important period of the day. Muslims usually wake up during this time to perform their morning prayers. In our holy book the Koran, God said that praying during this time bring blessings for people. As you might know, Koran was written in the Arabic language so the word Sahar is Arabic, but it gradually came in to the Persian language. The word Sahar is used a lot in Persian poems and it is used to describe the spiritual aspect of the pre-dawn moments. The interesting thing is that although the word Sahar is an old name, past Persians didn’t select this name for their babies because the word Sahar just meant a period of time which people usually did their morning prayers.
Baby names go through trends, much like fashion or for that fact, anything else that the human mind can fathom. What is popular this decade might not be popular the next. For example, “in America during the 1950’s names like Deborah, Mary, and Barbara were popular but in the 1970’s, the popular names were Jennifer, Amy, and Melissa” (Most Popular Names by Year). I don’t know the reason why Iranians started to choose Sahar as a name for girls. The name Sahar became popular with Persians roughly twenty years ago, so it’s kind of new name in the Persian culture.
Besides these reasons, the most important factor in my parents’ decision to choose the name Sahar for me is that I was born during the Sahar time frame. There is no doubt as to why my parents chose this name for me. I think the name that my parents chose is very appropriate for me, because it represents my culture, my religious, and the time that I was born. I am really happy with my parent’s choice because the name is a fairly new and trendy name in the Persian culture and this will make me feel young even when I get old.
posted by sahar at
4:58 PM
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