And we could all use it, no matter what is said.
It is not a religious holiday, but rather a universal celebration of new beginnings: wishing prosperity and welcoming the future while wasting the past. That’s why families take advantage of this time to thoroughly clean their homes and closets and buy fresh clothes.
It is a month-long celebration, full of festivities, crafts, street performances and public rituals.
And yes, a lot of cooking.
Who celebrates it?
March 21 was officially recognized in 2010 as Nowruz International Day by the United Nations at the request of countries such as Afghanistan, Albania, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkey and Turkmenistan.
Hundreds of American communities also celebrate Nowruz.
How do you celebrate Nowruz?
As with most festivals, Nowruz comes with its own set of traditions.
Many families also place a goldfish on the table for good luck and poetry books or the Qur’an to symbolize education and illustration.
Iranian families also welcome the new year with bright houses and new clothes. They visit friends and neighbors and share meals and organize parties. Communities come together to celebrate the beginning of spring and do so in the hope that they will always be surrounded by a healthy, clean environment, such as their home.
And the celebrations don’t end when people ring the new year. Thirteen days after Nowruz, the families head out into the open and throw the wheat grass that has been growing (and used to decorate the Haft Sin tables) into the flowing waters.
The tradition is maintained on the 13th after the new year, a number that is usually considered unfortunate. To ensure the good luck of the year, communities throw away wheat grass, which is said to absorb all the negative energy from every home.
Do they really jump over fires?
Yes! The activity is one of the two main traditions that mark the last days of the old year.
Before spring comes, children run through the streets banging loudly in pots and knocking on doors, asking for sweets or money. It’s like Halloween.
On the last Wednesday of the year, Chaharshanbe Soori (or “red Wednesdays”), crowds gather in public places and jump over bonfires, sing traditional songs and repeat the phrase, “Give me your beautiful color red and recover my pallor disease ”
Understood: tables, fires, parties. Something else?
The Iranians also have their version of Santa Claus – Amoo Nowruz or Uncle Nowruz – and a cute little cheerful who works for him.
Haji Firooz, the second figure, appears during the Persian New Year to bring good wishes. He is depicted with a black face.
“Absurd rhyme and direct reference to his status as a slave reaffirm his role as a minstrel in Iranian society, a role that, despite the end of slavery in Iran, still persists in Norooz’s celebrations today. in a day, ”says Baghoolizadeh. “In fact, Haji Firuz comes from the Afro-Iranian community in southern Iran.”
And the food?
Despite jumping on fire and sounding tempting, nothing compares to the dishes that were taken out during the Iranian New Year. Persian cuisine, already famous for its variety of grilled meats and fluffy rice, leaves the old year behind with feasts of stews, spicy foods and colorful cookies and cakes.
Herbs are key. Fish, meat, rice, noodles and beans from various dishes are seasoned with fresh mint, tarragon, basil and other green herbs.
Nowruz’s main course is Sabzi Polo Mahi – fried fish alongside rice stuffed with green herbs. Another, Dolmeh Barg, includes cooked meat and rice stuffed inside grape leaves. And Fesenjan, one of Iran’s most famous stews, offers meat, usually chicken and sometimes duck, in pomegranate sauce and walnuts.
The list goes on and on. The most important thing about Nowruz food is that it is shared by family, friends and neighbors.
So, am I ready?
Yes! And when the final countdown begins, play this song, which traditionally plays as communities sound like the new year.
Eide shoma mobarak!