Nowruz: What You Need to Know About the Iranian Festival

In every country, there's an iconic national festivity. There's Cinco de Mayo for Mexico, St. Patrick's Day for Ireland, and of course, who wouldn't know about the 4th of July. As for Iran, they have Nowruz. It's celebrated by millions of Iranians everywhere and is formally recognized as an international holiday by the UN. But, what exactly is it?

Nowruz: The Persian New Year

Nowruz literally means "new day." It's the Persian celebration for their New Year; a farewell to the cold days of winter, and a welcome to the first dawn of spring.

It lands on the stroke of midnight of March 21st, on the first day of the vernal equinox. It's a celebration for the end of the old year and beginning of Farvardin, which is the first month of the Solar Hijri algorithmic calendar - a more accurate intercalation system than the conventional Gregorian.

The Preparation

Much like Christmas, people prepare for Nowruz weeks before the actual day of the festival. But, instead of setting up trees and hanging socks by the fireplace, Iranians go into spring cleaning mode. To truly say goodbye to the outgoing year, all clutter and lingering grime are cleared so everyone can welcome the incoming one fresh and renewed.
Families also set up items that symbolize their hope for the New Year called "haft-seen" or the seven Ss. Here's what they mean:
·        Sabzeh: Grass or sprout that grows continuously until the day of Nowruz for rebirth
·        Senjed: A dried, sweet fruit from a lotus tree for love
·        Sib: Apples for beauty and wellness
·        Seer: Garlic for overall health
·        Samanu: Sweet pudding for fertility and wealth
·        Serkeh: Vinegar for the wisdom that comes with age
·        Somaq: Red spice made from crushed Sumac berries for the first sunrise of the year
Aside from these, families add their own symbols for hope like coins (Sekkeh) for prosperity and hyacinth flowers (Sonbol) for the scent of spring.

These haft-seen can also be seen on non-Iranian households in the US as a sign of goodwill to their Persian neighbors. The most notable example is the then-first lady Michelle Obama setting up her own seven Ss during the Persian New Year to strengthen Iran-America relations.

The Celebration

There's more to Nowruz than spring cleaning and setting up fruits. The festival lasts for 13 days, during which Iranians celebrate by following communal traditions like:

Qaashoq-Zani: Children wear veils and visit 7 houses. When they arrive, they bang pots with spoons to call the homeowner and, in return, get gifts. Think of it like trick-or-treating during Halloween.
Chahrshanbe Souri: This is the festival of fire, and it happens on the eve of the last Wednesday of Nowruz. During this time, people sing to each other "Sorkhi-e man az to/ Zardi-e to az man," which translates to "Give me your fiery red color and take back my wintry shallowness." Iranians also light up bonfires and jump above them to banish misfortunes from the previous year and materialize their hopes for the upcoming days.

Aside from that, people invite friends and relatives for a meal of Sabzi polow ba mahi (Whitefist served in herbed rice) and kuku sabzi (baked eggs with tons of herbs and spices).
The Persian New Year festival of Nowruz is all about renewal. It starts on the first day of spring and is welcomed by dancing, singing, bonfire jumping, and of course, pot-banging. But, before that, cleaning and setting up the heft-seen is a must to say goodbye to the sadness and bring forth happiness for the upcoming year. To learn more, and to encourage stronger Iranian-American relations, you can ask your Persian neighbors and celebrate with them during their special holiday.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

6 Common Misconceptions About Iranians