Tomorrow is the first day of Spring, celebrated by Iranians as the first day of the new year — Nowruz. To celebrate, we create a haft sin (pronounced seen). The haft sin is a table that is decorated with symbols of life, birth, happiness and other good things. Specifically, you must put 7 things that begin with the letter “sin”, which is basically equivalent to an “S” in the English alphabet. If you’re traditional, those 7 things will be an apple (seeb), garlic (seer), ground sumac (somagh), vinegar (sehrkeh), a dried fruit called senjed, a wheat pudding called samanoo, and sprouts (sabzi).
I’m pretty traditional sometimes.
Haft Sin, Nowruz 1389 (2010)
Most people also include some painted eggs, something in the colors of the Iranian flag (red, white and green), a mirror, some flowers (usually hyacinths, but daffodils and tulips work well also), some poetry books, goldfish, and candles. The candles in particular add a nice ambiance when night falls.
Haft Sin at Night, Nowruz 1389 (2010)
If you’re like my family, you’ll also sometimes put a baby on the haft sin.
I have a picture of me at the same age hanging out with the sabzi and garlic. It’s cute. Admit it.
Regardless of how you deck out your haft sin or if you even create one, Happy Nowruz to all. Even if you’re not Iranian, it’s the first day of Spring folks! And that is surely something for everyone to celebrate.
