Norooz, The Iranian New Year, represents the awakening of nature after the long darkness of winter. It is meant to celebrate The End and Rebirth. Iranians begin celebrating Norooz a few weeks before spring. They start cleaning their homes, buying new clothes, baking Persian pastries, growoing sprouts (one of the seven S on the table, has a particular process: A handful of seeds, wheat or lentil, is placed in a clay pot full of water. When the seeds turn white, they are spread in a piece of cloth until they sprout. Once that happens, they are transferred into a copper plate and covered with a piece of cloth. They are sprayed with water every day till they reach a certain height. At that point, they are decorated with red ribbon.), and planning for a nice vacation. Then, they gradually set Haftseen, the most important part of celebration.
Haftseen, is a special ceremonial table. It consists of seven dishes that their names begin with the letter S. They each represent something. The word Haftseen means seven (Haft) S (Seen). Among the seven dishes, other objects that represent a wish or special theme are placed on the table. However, the seven dishes are the main part of the table. These dishes are:
Seeb (Apple): Health, Beauty
Sabzeh (Sprouts): Rebirth
Samanu (Sweet creamy pudding made of wheat sprouts): Truth, Sophistication
Senjed (Dry fruit of Lotus tree): Love
Somaq (Sumac berries): Justice
Seer (Garlic): Health, Medicine
Serkeh (Vinegar): Patience
Sekkeh (Coin): Generosity
Sonbol (Hyacinth flower): Prosperity
Other objects placed on the table are: Mirror, Clock, Holy Kor'an, Colored Eggs (as many as the number of family members, representing fertility), and Persian pastries.
Iranians continue preparing for The New Year by celebrating the last Wednesday of the year, on Tuesday evening. This is called Chaharshanbeh Soory. Here's how they celebrate it:
Bonfires are set and lit in public areas. People will jump over the fires singing: "Give me your red color and take back my sickly pollar." They sing to take away evil and hope for health and happiness in the coming year. Then, they run throughout the streets, banging on the plates with spoons. This is called Ghashogh Zani and its purpose is to beat out the very last Wednesday of the year. While banging on the plates, people knock on doors and ask for treats. This is similar to Halloween.
The New Year is celebrated on a special day. When the sun crosses the equator and day and night are equalized, families get together and sit at the Haftseen table. This special moment is calculated each year by physicists and specified in the calendars. This special time which is called Tahvil e Saal (or Saal e Tahvil) is the same all over the world. So, all Iranians across the world, begin their New Year at the same time. About half an hour before Tahvil e Saal, family members sit at the Haftseen table and start praying. They pray and wish for health, happiness and prosperity in the coming year. Usually, one member of the family silently reads part of Holy Kor'an. Right before Tahvil e Saal, the following prayer is said:
On the 13th day of The New Year, Iranians get out of their homes and go to public parks. They eat, play games and chat with each other. They intend to take away the bad number (some people believe that 13 is a bad and unlucky number), and celebrate the end of a happy, healthy holiday season. This is also a good opportunity for families to get together and spend a day in outdoors.
Norooz celebration ends with Sizdeh Be Dar. However, one thing always stays in the minds: Norooz is celebration of life and removal of evil thoughts. Iranians respect Norooz tradition no matter where they are. They gather their family members and pray and hope for a healthy, prosperous year full of success and happiness. This tradition has been celebrated for 3000 years and it's been passed on from one generation to another.
