Persian New Year Amidst The Chaos
The past few weeks have been filled with anxiety, stress, and confusion. With schools transitioning to distance learning, lifestyles shifting to one centered around the shelter in place, and the constant COVID-19 updates, it's hard to imagine that much else is happening at this time, especially anything positive. However, for Iranian households all around the globe, March 19th was a day of celebration and new beginnings; it was Persian New Year or Nowruz. Generally, Nowruz is a time of great celebration, especially in Iran. Schools close for 2 weeks (similar to Christmas vacation in the States), to allow students to spend time with their family and celebrate the coming of the new year. Families deep clean their houses, buy new clothing and call their friends and family in preparation for one of the biggest days for many Iranians.
One of the most prominent aspects of Nowruz is the Haft-Seen Table. Haft-Seen means 7 S’s, and each Nowruz, families set up this table containing 7 items that all start with the letter S or Seen in Farsi. Each of these items has a special purpose. These items include: seeb (apples) for health and beauty, senjed (dried oleaster berries) for wisdom and rebirth, samanu (wheat pudding) for affluence, somaq (sumac) for patience, serkeh (vinegar) for acceptance, seer (garlic) for cleansing of body and environment. There are a few other items that are placed on the table such as a mirror, a candle, coins (sekeh), hyacinth flowers (sombol), two small goldfish to symbol life and the leaving of Pisces, and painted eggs (a tradition in which hard boiled eggs are decorated, often done by children as a Nowruz tradition and activity) and a Quran. Many people put more than just those main 7 items to make their table look even more beautiful.
Another Nowruz tradition is elder members of the family giving the younger members what is called Eidy, or gifts (generally money). Finally, the last tradition, which unfortunately has been hindered by the coronavirus outbreak, is visiting friends and family. People host Nowruz parties filled with amazing food and tons of laughter, and for the younger children, lots and lots of money. Despite the difficulty of celebrating Nowruz as usual, many families wished each other a blessed year through phone calls, FaceTimes, and took the opportunity to spend more time with their family and reflect on the past year. From Iranians all over the world, Happy Nowruz!
