On Friday evenings in the old Ilam city, a simple sentence heard from behind a neighbor's door could change the course of a business deal, marriage, or another fateful decision. This custom was known as "Sho Shomaki" (Saturday night/Friday evening), where people would send someone to listen to the first words they heard, interpreting it as either good tidings or bad omens. This oral tradition is gradually fading into silence in the villages towards oblivion.
According to a report published by the Iranian Fars News Agency, which "Vido News Agency" reviewed, in the old Ilam city, when houses were built of clay and most families lived in "black tents," critical decisions were made within the embrace of inherited traditions and beliefs from generation to generation.
"Sho Shomaki" was one of these customs, a ritual where one would anticipate the outcome of their intentions by waiting for the first sentence spoken by others on a Friday evening.
It seemed simple on the surface, yet it held great significance for the person with an intention. If someone was resolute about a matter—be it selling, buying, marrying, or a crucial life decision—they would send someone on Friday evening to a neighbor's house. The representative would go without explaining their intention and wait silently in hiding until they heard the first words spoken inside the house.
That short sentence was treated as a message and a guide: if the words or the first sentence were encouraging and had a positive tone, the person would take it as a green light to proceed with their plan. However, if the speech had a negative tone, it would extinguish hope and dissuade them from their purpose.
Houses Without Doors
Understanding "Sho Shomaki" requires comprehension of the social and architectural environment of old Ilam, at a time when rural houses were not like we know today. The clay houses were often built within courtyards that frequently lacked defined entrances or modern doors, while "black tents" formed an essential part of the lifestyle for nomads and villagers.
In such an environment, visiting and interaction among neighbors was very natural, and the sounds of conversations easily echoed around. This social and spatial proximity laid the groundwork for the emergence of a custom or tradition where "the first word" gained such significance.
The envoy sent to investigate "Sho Shomaki" was not seeking a direct answer to their intention; they were looking for a sign to guide their decision. Hence, the meaning of the heard sentence held great importance, as the person with an intention would imbue it with significance regarding their goal.
One Sentence
From the oral accounts of this custom, it appears that "Sho Shomaki" was not merely a simple pastime or a form of fortune-telling; people engaged with it very seriously in certain regions, to the extent that it was said to influence some of the most serious decisions in a person's life, such as sales, purchases, and even marriage contracts.
This custom should not be measured by contemporary decision-making standards, as the essential importance of "Sho Shomaki" lies in its revealing how individuals in traditional societies relied on signs, beliefs, and collective rituals to face the uncertainties of the future.
In traditional societies like that of old Ilam, decision-making was not limited to the modern individual concept based on written information and official documentation; the experiences of elders, neighbors' talk, nature's signs, dreams, optimism, and local rituals played an active role in daily decision-making.
Memory of "Tebhat"
Even a few decades ago, remnants of "Sho Shomaki" could still be found in some villages of Ilam. However, changes in lifestyles, urban expansion, alterations in residential architecture, the decline of traditional relationships among neighbors, and the alienation of new generations from many past oral beliefs gradually led to the decline and diminishment of this custom in daily life, like many ancient rituals, customs, and traditions.
Thus, "Sho Shomaki" may now seem strange to the new generation. How could a passing sentence be a guide to good or evil, influencing a fateful decision? But it is this very simplicity that holds its charm and appeal; it offers a miniature image of a community where neighbors were close, collective life thrived, and people turned to signs from the heart of daily life in attempts to decode the future.
The value of these traditions lies not in the accuracy of their predictions but in their preservation of a part of the cultural memory of the people. Therefore, "Sho Shomaki" has now become a story from old Ilam, more than just a method of decision-making—a tale that, if not documented and told today, may leave behind only a name shrouded in mystery.