Let's Spring Into Another New Year
Yes, today is the Spring Equinox, when day and night are identical in length.
Even though meteorologists now use whole calendar months to divide the seasons, and their spring starts on the 1st March, this day has traditionally been when spring begins until summer takes over on the Summer Solstice.
But it is also an ancient Zoroastrian tradition that this marks Nowruz - literally meaning New Day in Farsi - the start of the Persian New Year. And while it remains a holy day to those of the Zoroastrian faith and some Muslim communities, this festival is also celebrated as a secular holiday by over 300 million people, particularly in Asia and the Balkans, with specific rituals, food, dancing, and even leaping over bonfires!!
The festival lasts for two weeks, starting today.
But preparations begin well before this day with a thorough spring cleaning of the house - called “shaking the house” - where windows, rugs, curtains etc are thoroughly cleaned and old items are thrown out or donated, and new ones purchased. People also buy new clothes to see in the New Year. Very much out with the old and in with the new with this festival!!
After cleaning, flowers are used for decorating the home with tulips and hyacinths being firm favourites.
Fire is believed to purify, so before the New Year is ushered in, people dress in traditional costume and dance around bonfires, while some more adventurous sorts jump over the fires!! This leaping over the flames is believed to ensure good health during the coming year.
In the interests of safety, firecrackers and fireworks are sometimes let off these days instead of lighting fires.
Other customs before the Persian New Year include people banging spoons on bowls and plates as they go from house to house to receive little treats in return.
One of the most important, although quite recent, traditions of Nowruz is setting up a haft-seen table. On this, they place seven symbolic items which all begin with the letter “s”. Haft-seen means “seven s” in Farsi.
Sabzeh (sprouted wheat grass): For rebirth and renewal
Samanu (sweet pudding): For affluence and fertility
Senjed (sweet, dried lotus tree fruit): For love
Serkeh (vinegar): For patience and wisdom gained through ageing
Sir (garlic): For medicine and maintaining good health
Sib (apples): For health and beauty
Sumac (crushed spice made from reddish berries): For recalling the sunrise
Additional items which may be placed on the table include:
Mirror: To reflect on the past year
Live goldfish in a bowl: To represent new life
Orange in a bowl of water: To symbolise the Earth
Decorated eggs: For fertility
Coins: For future prosperity
Candles: For purifying
Books of classical poetry and/or a holy book: For spirituality
This year will be very different due to the pandemic, but normally people make short visits to the homes of family, friends, and neighbours during Nowruz. Young people visit their elders first and the elders return the visit later.
Visitors are tea and refreshments such as pastries, cookies, fresh and dried fruits, and nuts.
On the subject of food, some special traditional dishes are eaten during Nowruz. These include:
Ash-e-reshte - a soup made from noodles and other ingredients such as chickpeas, lentils, herbs and onions. The exact recipe differs from family to family.
Sabzi pollo mahi - composed of fish and rice. The rice is served with green herbs such as coriander, chives and parsley to symbolise the coming spring.
Various types of sweets and pastries are consumed, including baklava and sugar coated almonds.
On the thirteenth day of the New Year, people leave their homes to meet up outside with family and friends, having picnics or just enjoying the outdoors. Staying home on this day is believed to bring bad luck and is known as “getting rid of the 13th”.
OK, so that’s a very different, tasty, and colourful way to celebrate the arrival of Spring!!
Please share your own thoughts on Spring and the Persian New Year with some pictures, memes, gifs, music, etc.
And all are welcome to our New Year party - bring a bottle!!
All are welcome.
And please feel free to share all discussions you enjoy.
