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Where did eidi come from?
The tradition of giving Eidi (gifts) has various narratives. Abu Rayhan Biruni, quoting Azarbad (Mobad Baghdad), says: “Sugar was discovered on the day of Nowruz, and before that, no one knew about it. Jamshid once saw a substance oozing out of a reed, tasted it, and when he found it sweet, he ordered to extract it and make sugar from it. People congratulated Nowruz by giving sugar as gifts to each other. This tradition was also repeated in Mehregan, and gift-giving became a custom.”
Around the year 304 AD, during the reign of King Hormoz II of the Sassanid Empire, giving coins as Eidi became customary. According to historical records, Darius II ordered the minting of special gold coins for the occasion of Nowruz in 416 AD. These coins depicted a soldier shooting a bow. Gradually, due to economic difficulties, this tradition gave way to traditional and agricultural gifts.
Abu al-Fadl Bayhaqi also mentions the tradition of giving Eidi during Nowruz in various parts of his history, indicating that this practice continued during the Ghaznavid period.