Miscellaneous October Holidays

October

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Hafez

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Khwāja Shams-ud-Dīn Muḥammad Ḥāfeẓ-e Shīrāzī (Persian: خواجه شمس‌‌الدین محمد حافظ شیرازی‎), known by his pen name Hafez (حافظ Ḥāfeẓ 'the memorizer; the (safe) keeper') and as "Hafiz" (b. 1315, Shiraz, Fars - d. Shiraz, Fars, Timurid Empire (present day Iran) 1390), was a Persian poet who lauded the joys of love and wine but also targeted religious hypocrisy.  His collected works are regarded as a pinnacle of Persian literature and are often found in the homes of people in the Persian-speaking world, who learn his poems by heart and still use them as proverbs and sayings. His life and poems have become the subjects of much analysis, commentary and interpretation, influencing post-14th century Persian writing more than any other author.
Hafez is best known for his poems that can be described as antinomian -- any view which rejects laws or legalism and argues against moral, religious or social norms (Latin: mores), or is at least considered to do so -- and with the medieval use of the term "theosophical".  The term "theosophy" in the 13th and 14th centuries was used to indicate mystical work by authors inspired by the holy books. Hafez primarily wrote in the literary genre of lyric poety, or ghazals, that is the ideal style for expressing the ecstasy of divine inspiration in the mystical form of love poems. 
Themes of Hafez's ghazals include the beloved, faith, and exposing hypocrisy. In his ghazals, Hafez deals with love, wine and taverns, all presenting ecstasy and freedom from restraint, whether in actual worldly release or in the voice of the lover speaking of divine love.  His influence on Persian speakers appears in "Hafez readings" (fāl-e hāfez, Persian: فال حافظ‎) and in the frequent use of his poems in Persian traditional music, visual art, and Persian calligraphy. His tomb in Shiraz, Iran, is visited often. Adaptations, imitations and translations of his poems exist in all major languages.
Hafez is the most popular poet in Iran, and his works can be found in almost every Iranian home. October 12 is celebrated as Hafez Day in Iran. 

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