Haji Firuz traditionally plays a tambourine while announcing Nowruz in Iranian folklore.
Haji Firuz is a comic, red-clad herald associated with the approach of the Persian New Year. In performances, he sings, dances and plays a tambourine, helping announce the arrival of spring and the holiday season. His songs are commonly heard during the days leading up to Nowruz.
The character belongs to popular Iranian folklore, and interpretations of his origins and symbolism are debated. Some scholars connect aspects of the figure with older Iranian seasonal traditions, while others emphasize later performance history and social change. His blackened face and red clothing have also prompted discussion about representation and historical meaning.
A tambourine is a frame drum often fitted with metal jingles. It is not the same as the ney, a reed flute; the santur, a hammered dulcimer; or the kamancheh, a bowed spike fiddle.