Andâz-bendâz is a traditional custom of cooperation and mutual assistance practiced among rural communities. It is also known by related names such as andâz and dâd-andâz. The term refers to the collective gathering of money or resources needed to carry out a public or communal task.
This custom is observed whenever financial participation from all village members is required for a common benefit — for example, repairing a water canal (juy-âb or nâwor, a local reservoir or small dam used to store water for irrigation), rebuilding a road, constructing a mosque or hosseiniya (a Shi‘a congregation hall), or even when government officials demand bribes for administrative work.
In such situations, a general andâz-bendâz is organized to collect the necessary expenses. The type and amount of each contribution are set, and every household must pay its share. If someone contributes more than required, this is viewed as an act of generosity and javanmardi (nobility).
The same practice applies to funerals, where people make andâz contributions to help the bereaved family. In earlier times, local landlords would also collect andâz contributions in kind. For example, a Nowruz hen (a chicken each family had to give the landlord at the start of spring) or a seer (about 7 kg) of wheat from every household (Fayyaz, 2017; Burhani, 2017).
Andâz-bendâz was most often carried out in cash, but sometimes it took non-monetary forms, such as donating wood for the mosque roof, doors, windows, or other useful materials. Typically, an elder (mosafid), village constable (dâruqah), or treasurer would collect the contributions.
Although portrayed as communal cooperation, andâz-bendâz was rarely voluntary. Strong social pressure and fear of exclusion compelled everyone to participate. Refusing to take part could bring serious social consequences: people may have avoided interacting or doing business with those who refused, and shepherds might have refused to graze their sheep; the village mulla (religious teacher) — who traditionally stayed in villagers’ homes for meals in rotation, a practice known as nobat-e âkhund — might skip the household. If a community member did not assist in funerals, others marked the person as greedy, and may have stopped cooperating with them.
In some cases, even economic penalties were imposed. For instance, neighbors who failed to give the landlord his Nowruz hen would not be allowed to rent his land the following year. (In Hazarajat, the term neighbor does not refer to adjacent households, but to families working on another person’s land for wages).
Beyond community expectations, governmental coercion also sometimes contributed to the practice. Authorities occasionally imposed taxes or demanded payments from villagers under the pretext of andâz-bendâz, forcing collective compliance (Rezaei, 2017).
Sources:
●Burhani Sharistani, M. A. (2017). Online interview with Sedigheh Hashemi, 27 Asad 1396 (Aug 2017).
●Fayyaz, M. H. (2017). Online interview with Sedigheh Hashemi, 27 Asad 1396 (Aug 2017).
●Rezaei, H. (2017). Telephone interview with Sedigheh Hashemi, 1 Sunbula 1396 (Sep 2017).
Author: Seddiqa Hashemi
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