It's Spring, Happy New Year!

Spring has arrived, if only on the calendar in some Northern lands.  A time of rebirth and renewal, no wonder it is the Persian New Year - Nowruz.  Sometimes spelled, Norooz, it means, "new day", and it has been celebrated each Spring for more than three thousand years in Iran, as well as parts of Turkey, Afghanistan and Syria.

If you are fortunate enough to be invited to an Iranian home for lunch or dinner, you may see a table laden with decorated eggs, grass and goldfish - these are not on the menu!  At this time of year, almost every Iranian home, restaurant and cultural centre decorates tables with symbols of the new year.    

It is called, Haft-Seen and features seven symbolic items all beginning with the letter "S", or Seen:
Sabzeh, or sprouts, represented by the sprouted wheatgrass to symbolize rebirth.
Samanu, an elegant, creamy pudding made of common wheat sprouts, symbolizes tranformation.
Seeb, or apple represents health (certainly in European culture).
Senjed, the dry Lotus fruit, represents love, because who wouldn't fall in love under the boughs of the fragrant lotus tree in full bloom?
Seer, the Persian word for garlic, which everyone knows is healthy, represents medicine.
Somaq, or sunrise coloured Sumac berries, represents good conquering evil, at sunrise.
Serkeh, or vinegar represents age and patience.

These are the seven traditional items...but wait, there's more!  A mirror, to reflect on Creation. Candles for each child in the family, represent happiness and enlightenment.  A basket of painted eggs representing fertility.  Coins for wealth and prosperity.  Earth floating in space is represented by an orange floating in water.  Goldfish in a bowl represent life, and the end of the old year.  Hyacinths and Narcissus and rosewater grace the table with beauty.

It is surprising how many of the symbols are universal.  Spring is truly a time of rebirth and renewal - for all of us.

Photographs Copyright of:  Ruth Adams, Widow's Endorphins Photographic Images Incorporated.