By Parniya Bayat Mokhtari

Photo by Ashkan Forouzani on Unsplash

Persian New Year, known as Nowruz, is celebrated on March 20- the first day of the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere. Nowruz translates to “new day” – “No” meaning new, and “Ruz” meaning day. It is a day to celebrate the beginning of spring, with the first day of spring serving as the first day of the new year.

Iranians prepare for the arrival of Nowruz by arranging and decorating a table spread (also known as a Sofreh Haft-Seen) with symbolic and traditional objects representing various aspects of our lives and the upcoming new year. Seven distinct things are put on the spread that begins with the letter “S”, or, more specifically, the Farsi letter “Seen.” In its translation, Haft-Seen means seven (Haft) seens. 7 “S’s”.

Each item in the haftseen is included for a specific reason and has a symbolic value for the new year. Below is a breakdown of all the traditional haftseen items.

Sabzeh: wheat or lentil sprouts growing on a plate – symbolizing growth and freshness. Samanoo: a sweet dessert made from wheat germ – representing wealth. Senjed: dried fruit – a symbol of love. Seer: garlic – symbolizing medicine. Seeb: apples – a sign of beauty and health. Serkeh: vinegar – symbolizing age and patience. Sekkeh: coins – represent prosperity and fortune. Sonbol: flower – symbolizing the start of spring. Somagh: sumac – a symbol of sunrise and sunset.

During this non-religious holiday, Nowruz is celebrated by family and friends to commemorate new beginnings and prosperity. They let go of the past while welcoming all that is new, dismissing what is no longer needed spiritually and economically. Some prepare for Nowruz by cleaning their homes from top to bottom and decorating with new flowers. When Nowruz finally arrives, people dress up and go out to see friends and family, celebrating with prayers, music, dancing, and feasts.

The first day of the Persian New Year is said to hold a symbolic value for the rest of the year. Your activities during Nowruz is said to influence the remainder of the year. As a result, people make an effort to spend the day in a happy and positive manner. It is not a day for arguments or negativity, but rather one to be treasured and spent in happy harmony with one another. With that, we wish you a very happy Nowruz!

Works Cited:

“International Nowruz Day.” United Nations, United Nations, https://www.un.org/en/observances/international-nowruz-day.
Author: Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme, et al. “Haft-Sin Table for Norouz (Persian New Year).” Ahead of Thyme, 20 Mar. 2022, https://www.aheadofthyme.com/haft-sin-table-for-norouz-persian-new-year/.
“How to Celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year | CBC Kids.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, https://www.cbc.ca/kidscbc2/the-feed/how-to-celebrate-nowruz-the-persian-new-year.