Gilan province, located in the north of Iran, is a very green and prosperous land with good weather and full of blessings and abundance. Among the agricultural products and souvenirs of this province, we can mention high grade Iranian rice, high-quality Lahijani tea, tasty almonds from Astara, high grade olives from Rudbar, and delicious cookies in all areas of Gilan, alongside with Hazelnut!
Hazelnut is one of the main products of Gilan province. Every year, Gilan produces and supplies about 85% of all Iranian hazelnuts, and precisely for this reason, Gilan is considered the center of Iranian hazelnut production. Gilan province has reached fourth place in the world in terms of the production of hazelnuts, although they have 17,000 hectares of hazelnut orchards and approximately 15,000 tons of hazelnuts per year.
Usually, in different regions of Iran, at the end of the harvest of any agricultural or horticultural product, a celebration is held, which is a sign of people’s happiness after a year of effort and thanks to God for sustenance and blessings. But today, holding these celebrations in many regions of Iran has faded or disappeared altogether, and only in some regions, it is performed weakly. However, Gilan province and especially the villages of the two cities of Rudbar and Rudsar are among the places where celebrations are still held during the hazelnut harvest.
At the beginning of the harvest festival, one of the people sings a happy and beautiful folklore song , and the others hum the poem and song along with him as they engage in Chinese hazelnuts. In the meantime, the newlyweds make a necklace called Galwaneh for their fiancé or husband from the kernels of hazelnuts before they dry and give it to their loved ones in winter.
Hazelnut harvesting in Gilan usually lasts from late August to the end of September, in which everyone joins and collects the fruits of their year’s hard work from the trees firmly planted on the ground.
