Barareh

Barare, written in Persian as برره and pronounced /bæræ're/ is a fictional village in the Iranian television comedy series Pavarchin, and Shabhaye Barareh, assumed to be located near Shiraz. In fact filming was done in Tehran. However there is a real Barareh, but it is not that famous and is located in Markazi Province

Overview

Barare is divided into "Upper Barare" and "Lower Barare". The former is a more prosperous part as it exploits bigger fish from the river, better peas are harvested there, and from where more successful Barareans stem. The Lower Barare has mostly poor, illiterate peasants who think crabs are fish, as they have never seen fish. Once in a while, the two parts engage in warfare against one another.

Demographics

According to Shabhaye Barare, Barare had a population of 92 in the late 1930s. After taking a census, the Barareans tricked the census-takers and they ended up counting 1080 people in Lower Barareh and 1119 people in Upper Barareh even though at that time, Barare only had 92 people.

The people normally speak Persian with Bararean accent, but as a matter of identity, sometimes shift to the Bararean language which looks and sounds like Persian, but has its own vocabulary and grammar. The Bararean language is written with Arabic script.

Cuisine

Bararean cuisine is based on peas (nokhod in Persian). Bararean dishes all contain peas and they each have very different methods of eating. For example, when eating the prime dish Nochovskoo, you must place the pea on your palm as opposed to Gholenjoon Nokhod where the pea is placed on the back of your hand before getting slapped into your throat. TakhtHalghoob and Varcholang are other dishes, both based on peas.

Culture

The pea, which is the only export item of the region, is highly respected, and it is a social sin to disrespect it.

Bararean marriage also has some complex procedures that must be followed with accuracy to disallow humiliation. Some of these procedures include the Aroosghapun (the stealing of the bride) and Khastegarzanoon (the beating of the proposer).

One very common used strategy in every-day speech is the application of "Reversed Verbs". Following this a Bararean who says to a customer "Please do not pay anything; it's free for you" after selling something, actually means "Pay right now".

Other cultural characteristics of Barare include:

• Pachekhari - (literally: to scratch the legs of the pants of another person) to praise someone (normally one's boss) excessively. This is a serious requirement to promotion at the office where a Bararean works.
• Darbid - The local football (soccer) derby between Upper and Lower Barares. The version of football played in Barare is loosely based on normal soccer, except it is illegal to use feet.
• Street Fights - When two people begin to fight, and many of the villagers join in even if they don't know the reason of the fight and topple all over each other.
• Mehmoonghapoon - When a new person enters Barare, the Upper Barareans and the Lower Barareans compete seriously to be the first to serve the guest.
• Patriotic Stories - Barareans love to claim significant feats to themselves in the form of stories. These include the defeat of Alexander and the successful defense against Genghis Khan.

Monuments

The most important archaeological site of Barare is a well which is said to date back to the defeat of Alexander by Barareans, which is called "ChalEskandaroon" (the Well of Alexander).

Notable people

• Farhad Barare, an architect from Upper Barare, working in Tehran
• Davood Barare, Farhad's cousin from Lower Barare, working as a servant in Farhad's office, the two are very close to the administartion, because of their artful use of Pachekhari.
• Bagoori Barari, pen-named "Gisoo", Barare's poet master

See also

• Shabhaye Barareh
• Mehran Modiri