03/20/2022
💐Norooz| Nowruz | Noruz Pirooz💐
It's the Persian New Year and the beginning of Spring 🌱☘ This special holiday happens precisely at the vernal equinox. (By the way, many countries celebrate today, so I want to wish everyone a Happy New Day)
Friends and families alike have been celebrating for centuries dating back to the ancient Mesopotamian civilization and the Persian Empire.
Around this time families go into deep cleaning mode, and the Wednesday before Noruz, those who are able jump over bonfires for good health, and set up the Haft Sin. This is a table dedicated to represent good things for the new year items that start with Persian letter "س":
🌱Sabzeh (سبزه): Sprouting /Grass: the symbol of rebirth and growth (green grass or Sabzi, wheat/lentil sprouts) - I substituted with basil on the rez
🥣Samanu (سمنو): Samanu (pudding made with wheat germ): the symbol of power and strength.
🫒Senjed (سنجد): (wild olive): the symbol of love.
Somāq (سماق): Sumac (navajo: chiłchin): the symbol of sunrise.
🏺Serkeh (سرکه): Vinegar: the symbol of patience.
🍎Seeb (سیب): Apple: the symbol of beauty.
🧄Seer (سیر): Garlic: the symbol of health and medicine.
💐Sonbol (سنبل): Hyacinth: the symbol of spring's arrival.
🪙Sekkeh (سکه): Coin: the symbol of wealth and prosperity.
🏺Somagh (سماق): Sumac: the color of sunrise
And the staples:
🥚Tokhm-e Morg Rangi (تخممرغ رنگی): Eggs: the symbol of fertility.
🔍Ayina (آینه): Mirror: the symbol of self-reflection.
🔥Shem'a (شمع): Candle: the symbol of enlightenment.
🐠Maahi-ye Qırmız (ماهی قرمز): Goldfish: the symbol of progress. (I didn't have a gold fish this year
📘Ketaab (کتاب): Book: the symbol of wisdom. I've included some Rumi and The Main stalk, a synthesis of Navajo Philosophy.
🌹Rose Water
My additions:
Navajo Philosophy boom (The Main Stalk)
Sweet Grass Braid
Sage
Cedar
Navajo Sumac (chiłchin)
I've made adaptations to my haftsin, and although I'm still learning fluency, I consider myself incredibly blessed to come from 2 incredibly rich and beautiful cultures. ❤
Fun side note about why the time and date change each year: " No-Rooz occurs once in a few centuries and is the day when the vernal equinox, coincides with sunrise at a given longitude. We all know that the earth goes around the sun and when the sun is exactly over the equator it is called the vernal equinox and on that day the 24 hour period is equally divided between night and day. At a given longitude every year the equinox occurs at a different time. The time difference in Iran is about 5 hours 48 minutes and 20.16 seconds, when compared to the year before. Thus the New Year is ushered in, each year at different hours of the day, coinciding exactly with the equinox. This practice is still carried on in Iran as a nation.
The journey around the sun takes 365.24190 days, which gives us about 5:48:20.16 hours time difference every year, (give and take a few minutes each year) thereby every fourth equinox is about 23:13:20.64 hours ahead and so a day is added to the end of that year hoping to solve the equation. While in fact, the fifth year is started short by about 46 minutes and 39.36 seconds or .0324 days. Every 120 years a leap year is skipped to cover this shortfall. But even that result in a fraction 120 X 365 +116/4 = 43829 days accounted for by our system of recording leap years. While in fact the earth has taken 365.24190 X 120 = 43829.028 days. Thus the 120th year starts short by 40 minutes and 32 seconds (1440x.028), which only reduces the difference but does not zero it out. With present day technology and atomic clocks these inconsistency are more visible. Thus in ancient days the only way to zero the difference was to wait for the sunrise to coincide with the equinox at the same longitude and that is what the ancient Iranians did and called for a special celebration." https://www.iranchamber.com/culture/articles/norooz_haftseen_never_told.php
