My father made sure I grew up learning about the Persian culture and a part of that education was celebrating a cultural holiday called "Norouz" (translation to New Day) or Persian New Year.
We celebrate it beginning on the First Day of Spring (usually the 20th or 21st of March) and the holiday lasts for 13 days, ending with a community picnic called "Seezdah Bedar". The translation literally means "getting rid of 13".
As a child, my favorite part of Norouz was getting a present every morning when I woke up, all the yummy food, and the nightly visitors and parties. As a Mom, it's fun to decorate the house and I can't wait watch Hunter enjoy all of the traditional celebrations.
To decorate, we create a "Haft Seen" which is literally translated to the "7 S's".
An excerpt from a Persian site: A few days prior to the New Year, a special cover is spread on to the Persian carpet or on a table in every Persian household. This ceremonial table is called cloth of seven dishes, (each one beginning with the Persian letter cinn). The number seven has been sacred in Iran since the ancient times, and the seven dishes stand for the seven angelic heralds of life-rebirth, health, happiness, prosperity, joy, patience, and beauty.
A Haft Seen has the following components...
1. Sabzeh or sprouts, usually wheat or lentil representing rebirth.2. Samanu is a pudding in which common wheat sprouts are transformed and given new life as a sweet, creamy pudding and represents the ultimate sophistication of Persian cooking.
3. Seeb means apple and represents health and beauty.4. Senjed the sweet, dry fruit of the Lotus tree, represents love. It has been said that when lotus tree is in full bloom, its fragrance and its fruit make people fall in love and become oblivious to all else.
5. Seer which is garlic in Persian, represents medicine.
6. Somaq sumac berries, represent the color of sunrise; with the appearance of the sun Good conquers Evil.
7. Serkeh or vinegar, represents age and patience.
3. Seeb means apple and represents health and beauty.4. Senjed the sweet, dry fruit of the Lotus tree, represents love. It has been said that when lotus tree is in full bloom, its fragrance and its fruit make people fall in love and become oblivious to all else.
5. Seer which is garlic in Persian, represents medicine.
6. Somaq sumac berries, represent the color of sunrise; with the appearance of the sun Good conquers Evil.
7. Serkeh or vinegar, represents age and patience.
In addition to these components, many Persians add a mirror for honesty, lit candles for enlightenment, Hyacinth flowers ("Sonbol"), coins ("Serkeh") for wealth, colored eggs similar to Easter for fertility, etc.
These (above) are pictures of my Haftseen from last year (this year we're packing so I'll have one in Orlando).
There was your cultural lesson for the month! Happy New Year! :)
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