Dear All,



On the eve of the persian new year "Nowruz" I would like to share few details about the rituals & their meanings in Persian Culture...

Hope you like knowing about them...





What is Nowruz?!



In harmony with the rebirth of nature, the Persian New Year Celebration, or Nowruz, always begins on the first day of spring.



Nowruz ceremonies representations two ancient concepts - the End and the Rebirth; or Good and Evil.

A few weeks before the New Year, Iranians clean and rearrange their homes. They make new clothes, bake pastries and germinate seeds as sign of renewal.



Troubadours, referred to as Haji Firuz, disguise themselves with makeup and wear brightly colored outfits of satin. These Haji Firuz, singing and dancing, parade as a carnival through the streets with tambourines, kettle drums, and trumpets to spread good cheer and the news of the coming new year.





--- Last Wednesday of the year(Chahar Shanbeh Suri) : another tradition in welcoming the new year...On the eve of last Wednesday of the year, literally the eve of Red Wednesday or the eve of celebration, bonfires are lit in public places and people leap over the flames, shouting:

Give me your beautiful red color

And take back my sickly pallor!



" Haft-Seen "



A few days prior to the New Year, a special cover is spread on to the Persian carpet or on a table in every Persian household. This ceremonial table is called "Sofreye Haft Sinn" ... "cloth of seven dishes" (each one beginning with the Persian letter "Sinn").

The number seven has been sacred in Iran since the ancient times, and the seven dishes stand for the seven angelic heralds of life-rebirth, health, happiness, prosperity, joy, patience, and beauty.



The symbolic dishes consist of:



* Sabzeh or sprouts:: usually wheat or lentil representing rebirth.

* Samanu is a pudding in which common wheat sprouts are transformed and given new life as a sweet, creamy pudding and represents the ultimate sophistication of Persian cooking.

* Seeb means apple and represents health and beauty.

* Senjed the sweet, dry fruit of the Lotus tree, represents love. It has been said that when lotus tree is in full bloom, its fragrance and its fruit make people fall in love and become oblivious to all else!!!

* Seer which is garlic in Persian, represents medicine.

* Somaqh sumac berries, represent the color of sunrise; with the appearance of the sun Good conquers Evil.

* Serkeh or vinegar, represents age and patience.





Other elements and symbols are also on the sofreh):

-- few coins placed on the sofreh represent prosperity and wealth;

-- basket of painted eggs represents fertility.

-- a Seville orange floating in a bowl of water represents the earth floating in space.

-- a goldfish in a bowl represents life and the end of astral year-picas.

-- a flask of rose water known for its magical cleansing power, is also included on the tablecloth.

-- A mirror which represents the images and reflections of Creation as we celebrate anew the ancient Persian traditions and beliefs that creation took place on the first day of spring.

-- On either side of the mirror are two candlesticks holding a flickering candle for each child in the family. The candles represent enlightenment and happiness.

-- A pot of flowering hyacinth or narcissus is also set on the sofreh.





*** As the earth starts its new turn...As the trees wear their new dresses...As the flowers bloom & Nature breathes afresh...

May we all get Refreshed, Blessed & Happier than before...





Happy Nowruz...





Diana

Attached Files

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