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Home , New Year, Nowruz

The Arrival of The Haftsin Table The Persian New is celebrated on the The joyfulness of this spring holiday is fully vernal , the first day of spring in the expressed in the specially prepared holiday . (no-rooz) means table around which families gather to make “new day” in Persian. Some 300 million people wishes for the coming months. The table is set around the world mark this . about a week before the holidays and stays PERSIAN on disaply until the 13th day of the New Year. Nowruz Traditions At least seven basic items appear on the haft Nowruz traditions have their roots in the sin table: haft means seven and sin means the Zoroastrian belief system, which originated in letter “s” in Persian. around 1000 BCE. The universal message • Sib (apples) - fertility and beauty of the holiday is not religious or ethnic; rather it • Sonbol () - fragrance is a celebration of nature’s annual renewal. • Serkeh (wine ) - immortality and Traditions include cleaning homes and streets, eternity baking sweets, growing new plants from • Senjed (wild olives) - fertility and love seeds, and wearing new clothes. Families • Sabzeh (, , or sprouts gather together, elders receive respectful growing in a dish) - rebirth visits, greetings and gifts are exchanged. • (wheat sprout pudding) - sweetness The festivities last over 13 days and begin on • Sekkeh (coins) - wealth the eve of the last Wednesday of the year, known as Chaharshanbeh Souri – Wednesday Other symbols of good luck can also be feast around the fire. Families gather to jump placed on the table, such as: over to cleanse and renew for the • (seer) - to bring good health coming year, tell stories and feast together. • A gold fish - to mark the passage from After the New Year’s Day, families spend the Pisces to Aries, also a sign of life next 12 days visiting, exchanging gifts and • A mirror - to reflect the light of wisdom and enjoying the holidays. Since the number 13 is creation considered to be unlucky, everyone gathers • A brazier - to burn wild rue, a sacred herb, in parks and open fields, near rivers and lakes and to ward off evil spirits to enjoy a picnic, spontaneous dancing and • A book of poetry - by the fourteenth- to pass the 13th day, Sizdehbedar – sending century writer Hafiz, whose poems are away the 13th, in the company of others. All believed to predict the future families bring their sprouted greens to throw • Rose water, to purify and sweeten away in running water, chanting “your green • An orange floating in a bowl of water - to is from me and my pallor if from you”. This last represent the earth floating in space symbol of renewal, community, joy and hope • Candles - to symbolize holy fire reinforces the spirit of Nowruz and sets the • Decorated eggs - to represent fertility tone for a wonderful beginning to the New • Sweets Year. • Pictures of loved ones who are not present

• IRAN • • • • • • • •NORTHERN • • • • • • • WESTERN • ZANZIBAR • CRIMEA • MACEDONIA • BOSNIA • SERBIA • •