Monday
Mar192012

Spring Celebration: Nowruz March 20, 2012

Spring is seen as a time of growth, renewal and hope. The term is also used more generally as a metaphor for the start of better times. Many cultures and religions celebrate or observe holidays and festivals around the time of the March equinox.  
Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!" - Robin Williams

Nowruz "New-Day" New Year

Nowruz, literary “New-day”, is the traditional Iranian (Persian) new year celebration. It has been celebrated in Iran and Mesopotamia for thousands of years by all the people, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or language. The astronomical Iranian (Persian) calendar begins its New Year on the day when the March equinox occurs. Celebration is free of any official or religious rituals and lasts for Thirteen days.  Its official end is the Sizdah Bedar, a national day of picnic when everyone goes out to the nature to enjoy the beauty of the revitalized world. 

Halft-Seen  "seven items"

Firoozg][creator:Safoura_Zoroofchi]Haft-Seen (the seven 'S's) is a traditional table setting of Nowruz that includes seven specific items:

  • Sabzeh - wheat, barley or lentil sprouts growing in a dish - symbolising rebirth
  • Samanu - sweet pudding - symbolising affluence
  • Senjed - dried oleaster fruit - symbolising love
  • Sir - garlic - symbolising medicine
  • Sib - apples - symbolising beauty & health
  • Somāq - sumac - symbolising the color of sunrise
  • Serkeh - vinegar - symbolising old-age & patience

 

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    Reader Comments (1)

    Happy Spring!! "Let's Party!" Time to enjoy all of nature's beauty. This is by far my most favorite season. Nice post, time for some delicious Persian Food!

    March 20, 2012 | Unregistered CommentereA
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