Spring Has Sprung: Happy Persian New Year!

On March 21, 2011, a holiday begins. It lasts for 13 days. The UN's General Assembly created an "International Day of Nowruz" in 2010, registering the holiday on the "UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity." With growing attention to this ancient holiday, and the Bay Area's growing Persian community, here's local writer, chef, photographer, and girl-about-town Sahar Shirazi to break it down.

Persian New Year, Norooz, is celebrated by most Iranians, Kurds, and Zoroastrians around the world. It began as a Zoroastrian tradition to mark the solar cycle between 3-5000 years ago, and some date the tradition to Zoroaster himself. Regardless of its origins, it remains for many of us, especially here in the West, a connection to our pasts and cultures. I never became accustomed to celebrating New Years in the middle of winter -- the symbolism of it never quite made sense in my mind, and the idea of a new year starting with the freshness of spring has always stayed with me.

Having spent my childhood in Iran during the war, I remember holidays of mourning, grief, and observing important deaths. But Norooz ("new day") is different. It has always been my favorite holiday, and remains among my best childhood memories. It is an affirmation of life, love, and joy, celebrating family and renewal. In this time of political mayhem, Norooz takes on even more importance, as it creates a joyous connection to people of the Middle East. As our public cultural identity becomes increasingly associated with violence, oppression, and political tyranny, Norooz allows us to remember we Persians are from an ancient culture that celebrates poetry, music, food, and nature.
The Zoroastrians believed there were originally 2 universes which existed parallel to each other; one of wisdom and good, and one of anger and hostility, for 3000 years, until the spirit of the second universe, Angra Mainy ( the origin of the English word anger) saw the light in the first universe, wanted it, and attacked. To protect good, the first spirit created the material world in 7 stages to move it out of Angra's reach. The spirit of wisdom decided to move the sun and make cycles for the animals and plants. It also gave every living being a guardian angel to protect them from hostility and anger.

With the coming of Islam into the Middle East, Zoroastrians were persecuted and oppressed, and many religious leaders and kings throughout history tried to minimize or ban Norooz celebrations. Kurds in Turkey, for example, were not allowed to celebrate the holiday publicly until 2005, under fear of imprisonment. Islamic celebrations are generally more grief- and mourning-based, whereas Norooz is cheerful and merry, which is why it has survived so long. Today, many Muslims have incorporated Islam into the holiday, adapting it to their faith.

The celebration begins with house cleaning, as the guardian angels visit their human counterparts. A table called a haft sin is set up, and set with symbolic items. These can include eggs for fertility, goldfish for life, garlic and apples for health, sumac (a spice) for the sun and fire, coins for prosperity, a mirror for clarity, water for purity, and a candle for each child in the family to shine their way through the year. All tables have at least 7 symbolic items (for the 7 phases of earth's creation). Families also germinate lentil or wheat seeds to grow greens as a symbol of spring life and growth. Many include a book of Hafez's poetry, or the Koran, for wisdom, as well.

The last Tuesday before the equinox, there is a party to end the year, and people jump over fires, a mystical symbol for Zoroastrians. Children disguise themselves and beat on pots and pans door to door for treats; Norooz is among the pagan holidays Halloween emerged from. On the passing of the equinox, families gather together and elders give gifts to the younger children. For 2 weeks, younger people go to the homes of older family and friends, and visit people not often seen. On the 13th day of Norooz, everyone is to go outside and enjoy nature. They then throw the greens they have sprouted backwards into a body of water, making a wish for the New Year, and the water carries their wish into the world.

Source: SF Weekly