Persian New Year
Nowruz, or Persian New Year, is on the first day of Spring, marking the beginning of a new cycle of life as the Earth wakes up from winter. It is celebrated at the exact moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator and is calculated down to the specific second each year. Families gather to celebrate traditions, spend time together, and eat tons of yummy food.
There are many traditions leading up to the New Year, including Charshanbe Suri, where you jump over a fire to cleanse yourself of ill health or any other problems, cleaning your entire house, purchasing a brand new outfit to wear when the new year begins, and visiting with friends and family.
My favorite Nowruz tradition is putting together a Haftsin table. The table consists of seven (haft) things that start with the letter “S” (sin). Each thing on the table has a significant meaning. Sometimes the table includes different “S” things or other meaningful items in addition to the seven S’s.
Typically, a haftsin includes:
“Sabze”, wheat, barley, mung bean, or lentil sprouts grown on a dish, representing rebirth
“Samanu”, sweet pudding made from wheat germ, representing fertility or affluence
“Senjed”, dried fruit from the Oleaster tree, representing love
“Serke”, vinegar, representing age or patience
“Sib”, apple, representing health and beauty
“Sir”, garlic, representing medicine and good health
“Sumac”, a Persian spice, representing sunrise (because of its deep red color)
Other things often included in the haftsin:
Mirror, representing the sky, self-reflection, and introspection
“Sham”, candle, representing enlightenment and happiness
Painted Eggs, often one for each member of the family, representing fertility
An orange in a bowl of water, representing the Earth floating in space
Rose Water, because of its cleansing properties
Goldfish, representing life and movement
“Sekeh”, coins, representing prosperity
“Sonbol”, Hyacinth, representing spring
The colors of the Iranian flag, representing heritage
“Shirini”, sweets, traditional candy or pastries
A book of wisdom, such as the Koran or Bible, Sahnameh of Ferdowsi, or the Divan of Hafez.
On the thirteenth day of the new year, Sizdah Bedar, everyone spends the day outside and has a picnic. The sprouts from the haftsin are thrown into a body of running water, to symbolize letting go of any misfortune.
There are lots of traditions centered around Persian New Year. Some are superstitious, but all are in good fun and none are taken too seriously if you can’t get everything perfect. The idea of it all is to give yourself a fresh start and begin the new year with a positive outlook. I love that Persian New Year coincides with the beginning of spring because it truly feels like the perfect time to begin again.
