Nerissa Magol
100215010
Welcoming spring with warmth by saying goodbyes to cold breezy winters is what majority of us look after. Goodbyes to gloves and mufflers and hellos to shorts and tank tops is my favourite slogan. Along with the spring season we welcome the Naurouz festival which is a spring festival, celebrated in Persia and Middle Eastern countries. Nourouz is made up of two Persian words, Nou meaning New and Rouz meaning Day, Says a Persian Philosopher, Fariborz Rahnamoon. Naurouz falls on the 21st of March each year and is celebrated by Zoroastrians and other Persians around the world. Nourouz heralds the beginning of Spring, the day of Spring Equinox, when day and night stands equal in length, space and time as the Sun shines directly over the Equator, entering the Zodiac Sign of ‘Aries’ Says, Fariborz Rahnamoon. Customs and traditions have been an important aspect for the Zoroastrians, right from the heart of Iran’s ancestral history and spreading as a gift for the entire humanity. Spring is the time when Nature blooms into a festive season, a fusion orchestrated to Natural endeavours. It’s also the time for grooming our body, life and soul with humanitarian values and morals. It’s an opportunity and the right time to better ourselves and our surroundings, to revive, re-grow and re-start so that we can live with positivity, happiness and success.
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| Credit: Fatemeh Keshavarz |
Nourouz is well known for laying food ‘Tables’. Seven items are laid on the table, starting with the letter ‘S’ or ‘SH’ in Persian dialect. Why seven? This is because it represents the seven Archangels of Zoroastrianism. The tables have Sabzeh (wheat sprouts, signifying rebirth), Samanu (a wheat germ pudding, signifying affluence), Senjed (dried fruit, signifying love), Sir (garlic, signifying medicine), Sib (apples, signifying beauty and health), Somaq (berries, signifying sunrise) and Serkeh (vinegar signifying, age and patience). Today, along with the food on the table, some other important elements are also kept on a Haft sheen table are Sheeshah (mirror), Sharab (wine), Shilooneh (jujube), Shiir (milk), Shirini (sweets such as white and pink fondants), Sharbat (juice) and Shaanin (candles). It is said to believe that at the exact time of the vernal equinox, the pomegranate that is placed on the table moves and the mirror catches its movement. It is also believed that if you look into the mirror which has already reflected Nouroze, you will have good vibrations throughout the year!
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| Credit: Sedreh Pushi |
In Zoroastrianism, it is taught from a child is born until death to be united within the community, offer help to the needy people in form of charity and follow on the path of ‘Good thoughts’, ‘Good words’ and ‘Good deeds’. Celebrating the Nourouz festival every year brings togetherness within families and relatives. The day starts of by family visiting the fire temple together, where offerings are made for our wellness and later the family visits at home to see the decor of the table followed by lunch and exchanging of gifts. The layout of the table is arranged four days prior to Nourouz start and kept until three days later, which adds up to seven days of offering which signifies offerings for seven days to the angels on Earth and the Archangels around us.
“My greenness (spring) to you, my yellowness (fall) to me,” which means “I wish the best for you in Persian.”
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