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Norouz, the Persian (Iranian) New Year
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 Nowrouz,
Nowrooz, Norouz, Norooz or No Ruz, new day or New Year as the
Iranians call it, is a celebration of spring Equinox.
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 It
has been celebrated by all the major cultures of ancient Mesopotamia.
Sumerians, 3000BC, Babylonians 2000 BC, the ancient kingdom of Elam in
Southern Persia 2000BC, Akaddians all have been celebrating it in one form
or another. |
 
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 What
we have today as Norouz with its’ uniquely Iranian characteristics
has been celebrated for at least 3000 years and is deeply
rooted in
the  traditions of Zoroastrian belief system.
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This
was the religion of Ancient Persia before.
It is known as the mother
religion in the area. The familiar concepts of Hell, Heaven,
Resurrection, coming of t he Messiah, individual and last judgment were
for the first time incorporated into this belief system. They still
exist in Judo-Christian and Islamic traditions. |
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Today the
festival of Norouz is celebrated in Iran, Iraq, India, Afghanistan,
Tajikestan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. |
The
last Wednesday of the year is celebrated by the Iranian people as Chahar
Shanbe Soori, when people go into the streets and alleys, make
fires, and jump over them while singing the traditional song Zardie
man az tou Sorkhie tou az man (literally: "My yellowness from
you, your redness from me; ", but figuratively: My paleness
(pain, sickness) to you, your strength (health) to me.
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Serving
different kinds of pastry and nuts known as Ajile Moshkel Gosha is
the Chahar Shanbe Soori way of giving thanks for the previous
year's health and happiness, while exchanging any remaining paleness and
evil for the warmth and vibrancy of the fire. |
 The
traditional herald of the Norouz season is called Haji Pirooz, or
Hadji Firuz, or Haji
Firooz. He symbolizes the rebirth of the Sumerian god of
sacrifice, Domuzi, who was killed at the end of each year and reborn
at the beginning of the New Year.
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 Haji Firooz
disguise themselves with makeup and wear brightly colored outfits of
satin. Wearing black make up and a red
costume, Haji Pirooz sings and dances and parade as a carnival through the streets with
tambourines, kettledrums, and trumpets spreading good cheer and the news of the
coming New Year Norouz.
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The
custom of welcoming the New Year by making a general house cleaning is
also practiced. "Spring clean" is observed days before
Norouz with Iranians cleaning every part of the house, dusting
furniture and washing carpets.
The
practice complements the new season and freshness that comes along
with spring and New Year.
The
old Iranian tradition of making houses very clean and spice and span
for the New Year celebration is rooted in the belief that the soul of
departed family members will come and visit the homes of loved ones on
Norouz eve.
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 The
practice of preparing New Year sprouts from wheat for the New Year's
eve "Haft Seen" is an ancient one.
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 As
far as tradition goes, generation to generation of Iranian families used
to put up 12 mud-brick columns around their royal courtyards, each
planted with a particular kind of seed.
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 The
seeds planted were usually wheat, barley, rice, bean, broad bean,
lentil, millet, chick pea, sesame, and maize.
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 A
major tradition of Norouz is the setting of the Haft Seen (هفت
سین) - the seven
'S's, seven items starting with
letter S or "seen" (س)
in Persian Alphabet), which are seven specific items on a table
symbolically corresponding to the seven creations and the seven holy
immortals protecting them. |
Today
they are changed and modified but some have kept their symbolism.
Every
family attempts to set as beautiful a Haft Seen table as they
can, as it is not only of special spiritual meaning to them, but also
is noticed by visitors to their house during Norouzi visitations and
is a reflection of their good taste.
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Other items on the
table may include:
- pastries
- lit
candies (enlightenment and happiness)
- a
mirror
- Painted
eggs, perhaps one for each member of the family (fertility)
- a
bowl with two goldfish (life, and the sign of Pisces which the sun
is leaving)
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Other items on the
table may include:
- a
bowl of water with an orange in it (the earth floating in space)
- rose
water for its magical
 cleansing powers
- the
national colours, for a patriotic touch
- a
holy book (e.g., the Qur’an, Kitab-I-Agdas, Bible, Torah or the
Avesta) or a poetry book (almost always either the Shahnama or of
Hafez)
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- sabzeh
– wheat, barley or lentil sprouts growing in a dish (symbolizing
rebirth)
- samanu
- a sweet pudding made from wheat germ (symbolizing affluence)
- senjed
- the dried fruit of the jujube tree (love)
- seer
- garlic (medicine)
- seeb
- apples, (beauty and health)
- somaq
- sumac berries (the colour of the sunrise)
- serkeh
- vinegar (age and patience)
- sonbol
- the fragrant hyacinth flower (the coming of spring)
- sekkeh
- coins (prosperity and wealth)
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When
the clock strikes New Year all the
members of the family in their
clean and new outfits gather around the Norouz table and Haftseen.
The
family begins the New Year with a prayer for health, happiness and
prosperity, usually along these lines: "O Reformer of hearts and
minds, Director of day and night and Transformer of conditions, change
ours to the best in accordance with Your will.“
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 After
the initial celebration to welcome the New Year, the members of the
family hug and kiss each other, eat the bounties prepared for the New
Year and wish each other the best.
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Then
the oldest member of the family (usually the father) presents the Eidi
(New Year's gift) to younger members. The Eidi usually consists of new
and unused paper money that have been put between the pages of the Holy
Book.
Visiting
relatives during Norouz is among other customs widely practiced.
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On
the 13th day of New Year called Sizdeh bedar, everyone goes to
picnic (It is considered unlucky to stay indoors on 13th day). You
throw the Sabzeh (wheat or lentil seeds you grew for haft-sin table)
in running water, to remove the bad luck from your home of the
previous year. It is common to eat a special noodle soup for Sizdeh
bedar.
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An
interesting ritual performed at the end of the picnic day is to throw
away the Sabzee from the Norooz Haft Seen table. The sabzee is
supposed to have collected all the sickness, pain and ill fate hiding
on the path of the family throughout the coming year! Touching someone
else's sabzee on this thirteenth day or bringing it home is,
therefore, not a good idea and may result in inviting their pain and
hardship to oneself.
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Another
meaningful ritual performed with the dumping of the sabzee is that young
single women tie the sabzee leaves prior to discarding it, symbolizing
the wish to be tied in a marriage by the Seezdah Bedar of the following
year!
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We wish the blessing of the new cycle of life upon
all.
Maleki
Foundation
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All
Adam's race are members of one frame;
All
Adam's race are members of one frame;
Since all, at first, from the same essence came.
When by hard fortune one limb is oppressed,
The other members lose their wonted rest:
If thou feel'st not for others' misery,
A son of Adam is no name for thee.
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(1207 - 1291) Sheikh
Muslihu'd-Din, known as Sadi, was descended from Ali, the son-in-law
of the Prophet Mohammed. His father apparently died when he was a boy.
Although Sadi was born and died in Shiraz, Persia (Iran), during his
life he traveled extensively. He is said to have traveled for thirty
years throughout the Islamic world. Iran has filled the centuries with
some of the world's finest poets, but Iranians consider Sadi to be one
of the greatest.
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