Nowruz was a holiday my family would celebrate growing up; it was something that allowed me to connect with the Persian side of myself. We would go and get a goldfish that would be part of the Hafseen table, then it would later become a pet.
We would get the table ready at least a day or two before the official start of the holiday. I would always wonder about the history of Nowruz and why it was celebrated in Persian culture.
The last time my family truly celebrated this was in 2022, which was a year before my grandfather passed away. I didn’t think that it would be the last time I would be truly celebrating it. That year, we had gotten everything set up. My dad, sister and I went to the pet store to get a goldfish and we ended up with two.
The next day, the fish had passed away and I should have taken that as a sign of how the next year would go. We celebrated the new year and kept our decorations up until Easter; my family usually took them down the day after.
In 2023, my grandfather passed away on March 18th, three days before Nowruz. My family didn’t celebrate it that year. There was a lot that was happening at the time and it just didn’t feel right to celebrate it after losing someone who was a steady constant for my family.
My mother apologized for us not celebrating that year– she was crying as she said it. I didn’t care that we weren’t celebrating Nowruz that year. All I wanted to do was be there for my mother as she went through this.
Around a month after Nowruz, my family adopted our dog Icey. I like to think she was a gift for Nowruz from my grandfather. She’s a quiet, lovable husky. I told my mom that Icey was sent to us from my grandfather at a time when we truly needed her.
Nowruz, also known as the Persian New Year, is a celebration of the spring equinox. It typically starts as a holiday known as Chaharshanbe Soori, a Fire Festival that happens on the last Wednesday of the old year. People will be dancing around the fire and will also be jumping over the flames with the idea of getting rid of bad luck, illness and weakness.
My family, at least to my knowledge, never really celebrated Chaharshanbe Soori. My father may have celebrated it when he was living in Iran, but now we don’t really do much for the holiday. Although sometimes he will jump over fireworks during the 4th of July, so maybe he is celebrating the holiday just at a different time.
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With Nowruz, there is a table that is set up with seven items. This is known as the Haft Seen table. On the table you will have:
- Sabzeh, which is wheat, barley or lentil sprouts and it symbolizes rebirth and growth.
- Samanu, a sweet pudding made from wheat germ that symbolizes sweetness and fertility.
- Senjed, which is dried oleaster fruit, symbolizes love
- Seer, which is garlic and it symbolizes health and medicine
- Seeb, an apple, symbolizing beauty and health
- Somagh, which is Sumac, and it symbolizes the sunrise and new beginnings
- Serkeh, which is vinegar, and it symbolizes age and patience.
All seven of these items are what you will always see on a Haft Seen table. There are more that are not needed, but some families will add them onto the table in addition to the main seven items.
These items include:
- Seekeh, which are coins, symbolizing wealth and prosperity
- Sonbol, Hyacinth flowers that symbolize spring and the renewal of nature
- Shirin, which are sweets, symbolize happiness and joy
- Tokhm-e-Morgh, decorated eggs that symbolize fertility and new beginnings
- A Goldfish, which symbolizes life and the flow of time
- A Mirror, which symbolizes reflection and self-reflection
- Candle(s), symbolizing light and happiness
- Holy Books, for spirituality and faith
The holiday lasts around 13 days. There are stories told about Amu Nowruz, who brings gifts for people during the holiday.
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My family would typically have the main seven elements of a Haft Seen table, then we would add Seekeh, Sonbol, Tokhm-e-Morgh, a Goldfish, a Mirror, two Candles, and the Quran to ours.
My family would give each other something like clothing or a book, and we would also get gifts from Amu Nowruz that would consist of money, sweets or shoes.
Whilst my family doesn’t really celebrate Nowruz as much, we are trying to celebrate it more now. I’ve seen the posts on social media of many Persians celebrating the holiday and it makes me happy to know that even in this time of hardship, we can find the light and celebrate a holiday that has been around for centuries.
