Norouz

The whole family was sitting in front of the table. They were looking at the o'clock from time to time, feeling something in their hearts, a kind of joy. Girls with make up and boys with a smile on their lips as if they were all waiting for a big ceremony. The girl was looking at mirror on the table. She was thinking about those people (in the long great history of her country) who had sat in front of Haft_sin table. Like everyone else she was quite proud to be an Iranian.


….yes this is how Iranian celebrate their New Year (Norooz) on 21st of May.They all gather in front of a table which has the Haft sin in it. Haft_sin (seven "s"s) and they prey to have a good year. Haft sin consists of:

Samanoo: It's is made of germinating wheat and it's really sweet.
Senjed: It's a sweet fruit.
Gold Fish: Hoot (fish) which is the sigh for Esfand (the last month of year) is placed on the table to show the changing the month of Hoot (fish) to Farvardin (first month of the year and also symbolizes life and rebirth of nature.
Apple: It is placed on Nowrooz table to signalize giving birth and fertility of earth
Coins: It show that people are asking for a good financial year.
Sabzeh: People grow greens few days before New Year and they place it on the haft sin table.
Holy Book (Quran)
Orange: Orange being round represent the glob and some people put orange on a blow of water and when this orange moves in the water it shows the rotation of earth which is the cause of all the coming new seasons.
Eggs: It is placed on the table of nowrooz to signify fertility.
Somagh (samuc), serke(vinger), seir(garlic) are other s's of haft sin.

Visiting the relatives in the begging of the Year:
In the first 12 days of the New Year (usually before the holiday is over) relatives visit each others. It is always the youngest who visit the elder ones first. (Children visiting parents, nieces visiting aunts…..) And than the elder ones would visit the youngest.

Siezdeh bedar (spending the thirteenth):
In the thirteenth of Farvardin (first month of the year) people go outdoor to spend their sizdeh.
They try to have fun and be happy on this day. People believe that 13 is fateful so they all try to spend the day out and throw away the bad luck of the day outside. People make wishes and than they tie a knot on their sabzeh they believe by doing so they will reach the wishes till the end of the year.