Persian New Year

Persian New Year Facts & Quotes

• The oldest records of Nowruz go back to 247 B.C during the Arsacid/Parthian times. Today it is celebrated in Afghanistan, Georgia, Albania, Iran, Iraq, India, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Kyrgyzstan.
• Khane taken, which means house-cleaning, is an Iranian custom in preparation for the new year. Families will begin cleaning their homes weeks ahead of the new year.
• On Nowruz, focus is placed on seven items. These items all start with the Persian letter س (sin) or S. They are placed on the haft-seen table as a tradition of Zoroastrianism. They are:
  1) Seeb (apples) - symbols of health and beauty
  2) Senjed (dried oleaster berries) - wisdom and rebirth
  3) Samanu (wheat pudding) - strength and justice
  4) Somaq (sumac) - patience
  5) Serkeh (vinegar) - age
  6) seer (garlic) - cleanses body and environment
  7) Sabzeh (wheat, barley, lentils) - rejuvenation and new life
• The object of a new year is not that we should have a new year, but rather that we should have a new soul - G.K. Chesterton

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Persian New Year Top Events and Things to Do

• Enjoy traditional foods like sumalak. Sumalak is a thick pudding made from wheatgrass. It is typically prepared for 24 hours ahead of time. Women sing folk songs while they prepare huge pots of the pudding.
• Some other traditional dishes you can try include sabzi poli mahi, which is rice and herbs served with fish, and ash reshteh, which is a thick soup with noodles and beans.
• Partake in the custom of Chaharshanbeh Soori, the symbolic burning of all that was negative from the previous year. It is custom to jump over bonfires in the streets while shouting Give me your red color, take my yellow color. This symbolizes how the fire will take away the yellow of sickness and give back the red of health and warmth.
• Watch the documentary A Splash of Nowruz (2014) to see how some people celebrate the Persian New Year.

Persian New Year's Day References and Related Sites