NOROOZ AND SPRING IN IRAN
Norooz is the Iranian New Year festival. The word itself literally means “new day” which indicates the beginning of the solar year as well.
Norooz festival celebrates the awakening of the nature. This re-awakening symbolizes the triumph of good, winning against the evil forces of darkness that are represented by the winter.
According to epic Persian poem, shahnameh, Norooz came into being several thousands year ago during the reign of the mythological King Jamshid. Through defeating the demons (divs), and bringing prosperity to his subjects, Jamshid became master of everything but the heavens.
To reach the heavens, Jamshid ordered a throne built entirely of jewels. When the throne was ready, Jamshid sat on the jeweled marvel and ordered the demons to lift him to he sky.
Norooz has been celebrated by all the major cultures of ancient Mesopotamia. Sumerians, 3000 BC, Babylonians 2000 BC, the ancient Kingdom of Elam in southern Persia 2000 BC, Akaddians all have been celebrating it in one form or another. What we have today as Norooz with its uniquely Iranian characteristics has been celebrated for at least 3000 years. Norooz is the point when the oppressive presence of the cold winter finally begins to retrieve with the commencement of the lively and hopeful spring. This symbolic and poetic change corresponds to the mathematical instance of the sun leaving the zodiac of Pisces and entering the zodiacal sign of Aries, also known as the Spring Equinox.
Norooz is one of the valuable celebrations in Iran and Islam, the religion of kindness, appreciate it as we witness many say in praise of it in Islamic contexts.
Today, Norooz is celebrated as splendidly as ever. Setting the Haftsin and sitting around it at the turn of the year, wearing new garments, presenting Eidi (gifts of crisp paper money) to children sprinkling rose-water, eating sweets and celebrating Sizdabedar are practiced by Iranians, even those living abroad.
Muslims Iranians light candles, and place the holy Qur’an on the Norooz table to show their esteem for this divine book in recent years by honoring the Norooz festival, Iranians have demonstrated their attachment to their national customs and traditions while firmly believing in the holy religion of Islam.
Norooz lasts for 14 days, during which time people visit their relatives, starting with the eldest, their friends, and neighbors, children, depending on their parents’ income, wear brand new clothes, and receive money from their older relatives. The last day is celebrated by picnic in the parks and by the rivers, called Sizdabedar.
Spring cleaning:
Iran the custom of welcoming the New Year by making a general house cleaning is also practiced.” spring cleaning” is observed days before Norooz with Iranian cleaning every part of the house, dusting furniture and washing carpets. The practice complements the new season and freshness that comes along with spring and New Year. The Old Iranian tradition of making houses very clean and spice and span for the New Year celebration is rooted in the belief that the soul of departed family members will come and visit the homes of loved ones on Norooz eve.
Growing Grain Sprouts:
The practice of preparing New Year sprouts from wheat for the New Year’s Eve “Haft Seen” is an ancient one.
As far as tradition goes, generation to generation of Iranian families to put up 12 mud-brick columns, each planted with a particular kind of seed. The seeds planted were usually wheat, barley, rice, bean, broad bean, lentil, millet, chickpea, sesame, and maize. The number of mud pillars represents the 12 months of the year. The mud pillars are to be kept intact until the 16th of Farvardin. The seed that produces the tallest growth is chosen as the year’s choice plant for cultivation.
Growing sprouts in homes for the Norooz has its peculiar process and is the responsibility of housewives.
At least ten days before Norooz a housewife takes a handful of seeds, the quantity depending on the number of family members, and makes a wish for health, happiness and prosperity as she places them in a clay pot full of water until they germinate and turn white.
She then spreads them apart in a piece of cloth until they sprout. When the sprouts appear, she transfers them to a copper plate and covers them with a piece of cloth sprayed with water.
When the green plants reach a certain height the housewife ties them with a red ribbon.
Joyous forecasters
Mir-e-Norooz, Atash Afrouz and Hadji Firouz, are traditional characters that herald the joyous coming of Norooz. Hadji Firouz is regarded as the more enduring of the other two New Year announcers.
According to Iranian tradition, Hadji Firouz was a man in red clothes who went from street to street singing and beating tambourine on New Year’s Eve. (This is also the eve of spring).
He was usually accompanied by one or two other persons. It is said that he and his companions were symbols of an old custom in Azerbaijan, called “Chisdon Chikhdim,” according to which Hadji Firouz sang from the streets to inform people that spring had come and that winter had gone. In return, people gave him gifts or money for the good news that he brought.
Haftseen
On the night before Norooz, the entire family gathers around table (or spread) with an arrangement of several items, each of which symbolizes a wish or theme. Of all items in this arrangement, seven of them, starting with the Farsi letter “Seen”, must always be included.
The Haft Seen spread is usually put out a couple of weeks before the Norooz day and symbolizes the holiday season and its special mood very much like the Christmas tree fore the Western holidays.
Zoroastrians celebrated the creation of life by offering their deity, Ahura Mazda, seven trays, full of symbolic objects representing truth, justice, good thoughts, good deeds, prosperity, virtue, immortality and generosity.
The seven articles usually used are vinegar (serkeh), apple (seeb), garlic (seer), wild olive (senjed), sumac (somaq), juice of germinating wheat or malt mixed with flour and brought to a consistency (samanu), and a dish of specially raised wheat or other seed grain (sabzeh). Other items often included with the Haft Seen are apples, sugar cookies or pastries called Shirini, a mirror, candles, eggs, and a bowl with goldfish. Looking at the goldfish at the turn of the year is believed to bring good luck and fortune.
New Year’s Bang
When the clock strikes New Year all the members of the family in their clean and new outfits gather around the Norooz table and Haftseen.
The family begins the New Year with a prayer for health, happiness and prosperity, usually along these lines: “O Reformer of hearts and minds, Direct of day and night and Transformer of conditions, change ours to the best in accordance with your will.”
After the initial celebration to welcome the New Year, the members of the family hug and kiss each other, eat the bounties prepared for the New Year and wish each other the best.
Then the eldest member of the family (usually the father) presents the
Eidi (New Year’s gift) to the younger members. The Eidi usually consists of new and unused money bills or coins that have been put between the pages of the Qur’an.
Visiting Relatives
Visiting relatives especially elder ones is one of the major customs in Eid days. Most of children love these visits because they receive gifts.
Sizdabedar
On the thirteen day of the New Year, which also marks the end of the Norooz break for the school children families leave their houses and head for the outdoors where they eat, play games, and celebrate a happy and healthy holiday season.
This tradition is called Sizdabedar this fun and exciting outing involves all family members and is intended to end the holiday season on a relaxing and positive note. The concept of avoiding number thirteen is mainly to symbolize the will and power to deal with all evil in the New Year.
An interesting ritual performed at the end of the picnic day is to throw away the planted grains from the Norooz Haftseen table. The sabzeh is supposed to have collected all the sickness, pain and ill fate hiding on the path of the family through out the coming year! Touching someone else’s sabzeh on this thirteenth day or bringing it home is therefore not a good idea and may result in absorbing their pain and hardship.
Another meaningful ritual performed with the dumping of the sabzeh is that young single women tie the grass, symbolizing the wish to be tied in a marriage by the Sizdabedar of next year!
source : panorama
