The Sights and Seen’s of Nowruz
By AK Rahim
Greater Iran, or the Iranian cultural sphere, is a diverse region extending from the Mediterranean to the high Himalayas. Besides the Iranian peoples of the plateau, like the Persians, Pashto, Gilaki, etc., the cultural sphere also extends into the Turkic and Indic worlds. It encompasses many languages and religions, not to mention a slew of customs and traditions. However, one thing that unites this cultural region is the colorful celebration of Nowruz, meaning the “new day”, which welcomes the New Year as well as the growing days of spring.
Central to the celebration of Nowruz is a display of the symbols of spring and life in general. The table display goes by various names in the different languages of the region, however the most well-known is the Haft-Seen.
In its original Zoroastrian context, the term was Haft-cheen, or the “Seven Gatherings”, but overtime, it became Haft-seen, seen being a letter in the Persian alphabet. The cheen represent elemental properties, like a mirror representing the sky and candles for fire. The seen on the other hand, show more human emotions and aspirations, for example vinegar for patience and apple for beauty.
On display nowadays is a variety of both cheen and seen. The list includes: mirror, apple, candle, rosewater, sprouts, goldfish, painted eggs, wheat pudding, wild olive, garlic, sumac, and vinegar. Of course, this is an exhaustive list, as families add elements to personalize their Haft-seen.
All tables are topped with a book, which manifests the region’s long literary history and traditions. The old and young take turns reading from the esteemed books of poetry, such as Hafez or Rumi.
And lastly, the part of Nowruz that we NooshTubers were waiting for – the food! For Nowruz, there is the emblematic sabzi polo ba mahi and samanu pudding. Sabzi polo is herb pilaf, served with mahi, usually a white fish. Samanu is an interesting pudding made of germinated wheat, traditionally taking a week to impart the sweet creaminess. A host of other equally delicious food of course accompanies these dishes, with different parts of the Iranian cultural sphere adding its own Nowruz flavorings. Overall though, the theme remains the same – celebrating the rejuvenation and sweetness of life.
Abdul-Kadar (AK) Rahim is a marketer and product developer with a healthy obsession with all-things culinary. He is part of NooshTube’s creative team, collaborating on content and marketing. Though brought up on the East Coast, he has a tendency to roam around the world, collecting stories and recipes along the way.