Noruz

NoruzNorouz (alternative spellings: Norooz, Noruz, Nowrouz, ...) [from Persian no=new + rooz=day meaning "new day"] is the traditional Iranian festival of the New Year which starts at the exact moment of the vernal equinox, commencing the start of the spring. Iranians take that as the beginning of the year. Norouz with its uniquely Iranian characteristics has been celebrated for at least 3,000 years and is deeply rooted in the rituals and traditions of the Zoroastrian religion. Today the festival of Norouz is not only celebrated in Iran, but also in many lands that historically have been within the Persian sphere of cultural influence (i.e., lands which have been main parts of the pre-islamic Persia.)Iranians consider the Norouz as their greatest celebration of the year. Even after Islam, the festival of Norouz continued to be by far the greatest celebration of the year in Iran. Iranians start preparing for the Norouz by a major springcleaning of their houses, buying new clothes to wear on the day of Norouz, buying lots of flowers for the Norouz (in particular the Hyacinth and the Tulip are popular and conspicuous in the Norouz) during the last month of winter in the Persian solar calendar. Another major tradition of Norouz is setting the "Haft Seen" (the seven 'seen', 7-Seen or the 7 items) with seven specific items 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 tries to set up as beautifully a 7-seen table as they can, as it is not only of special spritual meaning to them, but also is noticed by visitors to their house during Norouzi visitations and is a reflection of their good taste.During the Norouz holidays Iranians are expected to pay house visits to one another (mostly limited to families, friends and neighbours) in the form of short house visits and the other side will also pay you a visit during the holidays before the 13th day of the Spring. Typically, on the first day of Norouz, family members gather around the table, with the 7-seen on the table or set next to it, an await the exact moment of the arrival of the Spring. At that time gifts are exchanged. Later in the day, on the very first day, the first house visits are paid to the most senior family members. Typically, the youngers visit the elders first, and the elders return their visit later. The visits are not by appointment and naturally they have to be relatively short, otherwise one will not be able to visit everybody on their list. Every family announces in advance to their relatives and freidns which days of the holidays are their reception days. A typical visit is around 30 minutes, where you often run into other visiting relatives and friends who happen to be paying a visit to the same house at that time. Because of the house visits, you make sure you have a sufficient supply of pastry, cookies, fresh and dried fruits on hand, as you typically serve your visitors with these items plus tea or syrup.The 13th day of the New Year festival is called "Sizdah Bedar". People go out in the nature in groups and spend all day outdoors in the nature in form of family picnics. It is a day of festivity in the nature, where children play and music and dancing is abundant. On this day, people throw their Sabze (green sprouts that they grew as one of the 7-seen items) away in the nature as a symbolic act of making the nature greener. The official calendar of Iran is the Persian solar calendar, and the first day of the Persian new year is the 1st of Farvardin, and this day is called Norouz, meaning New Day. In the Persian solar calendar there are 12 months, the first 6 months have 31 days, and the second 6 months have 30 days, except the last month which has 29 days, but has 30 days only in leap years. In the Gregorian solar calendar, the Norouz corresponds to March 21 of every year .

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Noruz

Once again Persian homes prepare for the New Year or Noruz celebrations. All Persian households follow the practices of this, the oldest of Persian celebrations, which heralds the end of winter and cold and the coming of spring.The house goes through a spring cleaning preparing it for new events in the New Year. Fish bowls containing gold fishes, green wheat or lentil sprouts that have bloomed in decorative plates and shapes, hyacinths and tulips, red apples, mirrors and colored eggs adorn tables on decorative Persian fabrics. fresh money notes are placedon 7-seen to bless them for gift giving.Nowruz is a relic of ancient times. A memory of old tales and epics, a celebration of rebirth and rejuvenation. Spring has arrived and the previous year with all its events, good or bad, has passed. Renewed hope anticipates new achievements.This event signifies the celebration of nature through culture. It heralds re-birth and announces the coming of the new. The dark has passed and the light of hope shines in people’s hearts.The roots of Nowruz date back to long ago. Historians trace it to pre-Islamic Iran. Some connect it to Jamshid Shah Jam, one of the epic kings of Persia (Iran). The engravings of Persepolis show, according to some historians, signs that the Achamenid kings celebrated Nowruz some two thousand and five hundred years ago.There is no doubt that this ancient way of celebrating the new year in Iran has endured and adapted through many centuries of history-- surviving the Arab invasions and the conversion of the nation to Islam. Nowruz Nameh, which many attribute to the poet, Omar Khayyam, adapted this event to the solar calendar and preserved it for future generations. The current practice of Nowruz, is an amalgam of many centuries of cultural influence. The Haft-seen (made up of seven symbols of life and the interaction of human beings with nature), visiting elders, giving gifts, special foods, house cleaning, wearing of new clothes, forgetting old grudges and embracing new things all make up different aspects of Nowruz.This celebration is a sign of the resilience of tradition amongst Persians (Iranians) who, while always looking forward, like to preserve their ancient roots.We like to express our best wishes for the New Year and the advent of spring to all Iranians, As we say in Persian, Eid-e Haamegee Mobaaraak.
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Caharshanbe Suri

Chaharshanbe suriChahar-Shanbe Suri (Wednesday Feast) is an ancient festival where Iranians celebrate the last Tuesday night of their Iranian Calender. On this night Iranians jump over bonfires, light firecrackers and eat a special nut mixture called Chahar-Shanbe Suri nuts. Also, children go to neighbors’ doors on this night while hiding their faces and hitting bowls in their hands with spoons to ask for nuts. This custom is called Ghashogh zani (hitting with spoon). The photos are taken from the celebrations in Gisha, a neighborhood in the North West of Tehran.

ChaharShanbe Sury, this year(2006), as usual was full of pleasure for my family and I. my aunt and her family, my two causins and their family+ we, gathered in my grand parents house and celebrated the longest night of the year for victory of goodness. we prepared a small fire for jumping on and telling this famouse sentence " yellowness(= sickness) of my face for you ( =fire) and redness(=freshness) of your face for me."three times while we jumping. ancient persians believed that fire has the property of cleaning everything....anyway after jumpig we left the yard ( this year we had to set fire in my grand parents yard) and ate dinner ( usually Hotdog). around 9'oclock pm we went on roof (except my grand parents) and fired sky-rockets....that was great....finally we went indoor, because my father always reads some parts of great persian poets like philosopher Ferdosi, Hafez, Sadi and Khayam for us in this night. After that untill 2 o'clock am we devided in groups ( usually according to age) ,talked and played cards and backgammon ( they are our favourite). it was accustomed that people stayed on, untill morning but todays because we should go to work or school we can't stay on until dawn!!!! at 2:00 am we left my grandparents' house as we thought about next Chahar Shanbe Suri and comming NORUZ!:)

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SHab e Yalda (winter feast)

ASight of you each morning is a new year Any night of your departure is the night of yalda. - Sa'diIn the East more than in the West, life-styles have often remained more in tune with nature. Therefore, natural rhythms change from morning to evening, from month to month, and finally from season to season. This integration of nature into life cycles is especially true in Iran. The winter solstice, December 21 or 22, is the longest night of the year. In Iran this night is called Shab-e yalda, which refers to the birthday or rebirth of the sun. The ceremony is traced to the primal concept of Light and Good against Darkness and Evil in the ancient Iranian religion. This night with Evil at its zenith is considered unlucky. From this day forward, Light triumphs as the days grow longer and give more light. This celebration comes in the Persian month of Day, which was also the name of the pre-Zoroastrian creator god (deity). Later he became known as the God of creation and Light, from which we have the English word day (the period of light in 24 hours).In the evening of Shab-e Yalda bonfires are lit outside, while inside family and friends gather in a night-long vigil around the korsi, a low, square table covered with a thick cloth overhanging on all sides. A brazier with hot coals is placed under the table. All night the family and friends sit on large cushions (futons) around the korsi with the cloth over their laps. Formerly fruit and vegetables were only available in season and the host, usually the oldest in the family, would carefully save grapes, honeydew melons, watermelons, pears, oranges, tangerines, apples, and cucumbers. These were then enjoyed by everyone gathered around the korsi, or a fireplace.On this winter night, the oldest member of the family says prayers, thanks God for the previous year's crops, and prays for the prosperity of next year's harvest.Then with a sharp knife, he cuts the thick yogurt, the melon, and the watermelon and gives everyone a share. The cutting symbolizes the removal of sickness and pain from the family. Snacks are passed around throughout the night: pomegranates with angelica powder (gol-par) and Ajil-e shabchareh or Ajil-e shab-e yalda, a combination of nuts and dried fruits, particularly pumpkin and watermelon seeds and raisins. This mixture of nuts literally means night-grazing; eating nuts is said to lead to prosperity in days to come. More substantial fare for the night's feast include eggplant stew with plain saffron-flavored rice, rice with chicken, thick yogurt, and saffron and carrot brownies. The foods themselves symbolize the balance of the seasons: watermelons and yogurt are eaten as a remedy for the heat of the summer, since these fruits are considered cold, or sardi; and halva, the saffron and carrot brownies, is eaten to overcome the cold temperatures of winter, since they are considered hot, or garmi. On into the night of festivities the family keeps the fires burning and the lights glowing to help the sun in its battle against darkness. They recite poetry and play music, tell jokes and stories, talk and eat and eat and talk until the sun, triumphantly, reappears in the morning.Early Christians took this very ancient Persian celebration to Mitra, Goddess of Light, and linked it to Christ's birthday. Today the dates for Christmas are slightly changed, but there are many similarities: lighting candles, decorating trees with lights, staying up all night, singing and dancing, eating special foods, paying visits, and, finally, celebrating this longest night of the year with family and friends

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