History
of Norooz
(Persian New Year)
In harmony
with the rebirth of nature, the Iranian New Year Celebration, or NOROOZ,
always begins on the first day of spring. The word itself literally
means "new day" in Persian (Farsi) language and the festival marks the
beginning of the solar year as well as the new year on the Iranian and
several other national calendars. Nowruz ceremonies are symbolic
representations of 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.
| The
ceremonial cloth
(Sofreh-e Haft Sinn) is set up in each household. Troubadours,
referred to as Haji Firuz, disguise themselves with makeup and
wear brightly colored outfits. These Haji Firuz, singing and dancing,
parade as a carnival through the streets with tambourines, and
trumpets to spread good cheer and the news of the coming new year.
At its core, the
Norooz festival celebrates the awakening of the natural life.
This awakening symbolizes the
triumph of good, winning against the evil forces of darkness that
are represented by the Winter.
Nowrooz is the
point when the oppressive presence of the cold Winter finally
begins to retrieve with the commencement of the lively and hopeful
Spring. This symbolic and poetic change corresponds to the mathematical
instance of the sun leaving the zodiac of Pisces and entering
the zodiacal sign of Aries, also known as the Spring Equinox. |
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As implied by its timing
and natural significance, Nowrooz is a time of renewal and symbolizes
rebirth, awakening, cleanliness and newness. A national tradition in
almost all regions of Iran is the annual Norooz
cleaning, which is likely to share its roots with the Spring Cleaning
in the American culture. Families wash their rugs and draperies, clean
and wax their furniture and often repaint their homes' interior.
Nowrooz represents much of what Iranian/Persian character, history,
politics and religion are all about. For centuries, Persians have applied
the Nowrooz spirit to every dark challenge that has come their way.
This spirit has made Nowrooz far more than just a New year celebration!
The renewal of nature is the essence of this multi-millennium old tradition.
Originally held as a spring festival, it is believed to have first been
acknowleged officially and named "Norooz" by a mythical Persian emperor,
Jamshid. Others have credited the Achaemenid Dynasty (12th B.C.) for
institutionalizing the Nowrooz festival.
An almost iconic tradition
associated with Nowrooz is when every person buys at least one set of
new clothes. On the new year day, which is the first day of the month
of Farvardin (March 21), families visit elders and friends in their
new clothes. The spirit of Nowrooz is visible on this day!
Throughout their often stormy history, the Persian people have endured
the darkest times of hardship, civil wars, world wars, foreign occupations
and the like. Persians have celebrated the height of human civilization,
scientific and military achivement through the spirit of Nowrooz. Such
a unifying spirit has often made Nowrooz the target of much animosity
by foreign invaders and anti-national forces throughout the history
of Iran. Alexander the Great, the Arab conquerors and many others tried
to eliminate this holiday and wipe it off the Persian cultural landscape,
only to find it preserved by the masses.
Chahar Shanbeh Soori: The Bonfire
The Nowrooz holiday season includes several symbolic and meaningful
celebrations and rituals begining with the last Wednesday of the year,
called the Chahar Shanbeh Soori (translation yields "Wednesday Fire").
On Tuesday evening (the night before the last Wednesday) every family
celebrates the Chahar Shanbeh Soori. At the center of this traditional
celebration is giving thanks for the fortune of having made it through
another healthy year and to exchange any remaining paleness and evil
with the life and warmth of the fire. Chahar Shanbeh Soori is deeply
rooted in Iranians' Zoroastrian past (Persian people's dominant religion
prior to Islam). The part of this night especially popular with the
youngsters is the bonfire. Every family gathers
several piles of wood or brush to be lit shortly after the sunset. 
All family members line
up and take turns jumping safely along (and over) the burning piles,
singing to the fire: "Sorkheeyeh toe az man; zardeeyeh man az
toe." This translates to: "Your redness (health) is mine; my paleness
(pain) is yours."
Haji Firooz: The Herald of New Year
Haji Firooz is the black faced character who is the traditional herald
of the Nowrooz season and begins to wander the streets and alleyways
in his red costume weeks before the end of the year. The sound of his
songs and the sight
of his dance is often analogous to hearing Christmas music in a shopping
mall, telling all that Nowrooz is in the air. Although the blackness
of his skin has been the source of some racial controversy in Iranian
intellectual circles, Haji's intentions and spirit have always been
well received and loved by the people.
Haft Seen: The seven symbols
On the night before Nowrooz, the entire family gathers around a table
with an arrangement of several items, each of which symbolizes a wish
or theme. Of all the items in this arrangement, seven of them, starting
with the Farsi letter "seen" (the English "S"), must always be included.
The Farsi translation of number seven is "haft" --hence the name Haft
Seen.
The Haft Seen spread is usually put out a couple of weeks before the
Nowrooz day and symbolizes the holiday season.
Zoroastrians celebrated the creation of life by offering their deity,
Ahura Mazda, seven trays, full of symbolic objects representing truth,
justice, good thoughts, good deeds, prosperity, virtue, immortality
and generosity.
The seven items starting with the letter "seen" in the contemporary
Haft Seen (angelic heralds of life-rebirth, health, happiness, prosperity,
joy, patience, and beauty) are:
1. Sabzeh or sprouts, usually wheat
or lentil representing rebirth.
2. 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.
3. Seeb means apple and represents
health and beauty.
4. 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.
5. Seer which is garlic in Persian,
represents medicine.
6. Somaq sumac berries, represent
the color of sunrise; with the appearance of the sun Good conquers Evil.
7. Serkeh or vinegar, represents
age and patience.
Other items often included with the Haft Seen are Sekeh (coin),
Sonbol (the hyacinth flower) cookies or pastries called Shirini, a mirror,
candles, eggs, and a bowl with goldfish. Looking at the goldfish
at the turn of the year is believed to bring good luck and fortune.
Seezdah Bedar
The two weeks long NoRooz celebration ends with SeezDeh Bedar. SeezDeh
means Thirteen and SeezDeh Bedar is the process of getting over with
or passing over the thirteenth day of the New Year.
This tradition is called Seezdah Bedar (seezdah means thirteen) which
in English translates to "getting rid of thirteen". This fun and exciting
outing involves all family members and is intended to end the holiday
season on a relaxing and positive note. The concept of avoiding the
number thirteen is mainly to symbolize the will and power to deal with
all evil in the new year.
An interesting ritual performed at the end of the picnic day is to throw
away the Sabzee from the Nowrooz 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 absorbing their pain and hardship.
Another meaningful ritual performed with the dumping of the sabzee is
that young single women tie the sabzee leave(s) prior to discarding
it, symbolizing the wish to be tied in a marriage by the Seezdah Bedar
of next year! The young ladies are often heard whispering the following
rhyme while tying the leaves:
"Sal-e
deegar, khune-yeh showhar, bacheh baghal!"
This translates to:
"Next year, in the husband's house, with a baby
in arms!"
Newly weds also tie a
grass knot making wishes for a baby, a house, or whatever is on their
Have-To-Have list.
Greetings and wishes are aplenty around Nowrooz time. The following
is a list of common greetings, what they mean.
Nowrooz mobarak: Happy Nowrooz, Nowrooz pirooz: Nowrooz be prosperous,
Sal-e no mobarak: Happy new year, Sad sal bi in sal-ha: May another
hundred years be as happy and joyous as this one (referring to the holiday
feeling).
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