Let’s read about Iranian customs on Nowruz.

Nowruz is the most important national celebration of Iranians. The rituals that are held today as the rituals of Nowruz are taken from the celebration of Nowruz in ancient Iran. All people prepare for this celebration months before spring arrives.

The last month of the year and the hot topic of housecleaning.

This ritual is a remnant of ancient times that is still done in Iran and some other countries. In the last days of the year, people clean their houses, wash their carpets, and some throw away their old furniture and buy new ones. From the ancient point of view, house cleaning is first accompanied by excitement and turmoil, then after the house is tidy, peace prevails everywhere.

The streets in all cities have a different atmosphere and are full of passion for life. People buy new clothes to be adorned at the same time as the earth is renewed and spring arrives. People who have more favorable financial conditions give new clothes to those in need.

We have a ceremony on the evening of the last Tuesday of the year, called Chahar-Shanbeh Soori (festival of fire). We make a fire outside our house, in a suitable atmosphere, and the whole family jumps over the fire one by one, saying: “my yellow is yours, your red is mine. This means that we will burn the diseases, sorrows, and worries of the previous year so that we can start the New Year with ease and happiness. In the streets, we see Haji Firuz who announced coming of spring with dancing and joy. Haji Firuz is a person who has been announcing the arrival of Nowruz to people with black faces and red clothes from the past to the present.

After shopping for the New Year and the house cleaning, it is time to prepare the Haftsin Table.

About two weeks before Nowruz, people plant different seeds such as wheat, mung bean, lentils, corn, etc. in beautiful containers or jars so that at the time of delivery of the year, they put their gasses on the Haft Sin table.

Haft Sin is one of our ancient Iranian rituals, it is an arrangement of seven symbolic items includes Sib (apple), Serke (vinegar), Sabzeh, Seke (coins), Samano (sweet pudding), Sir (garlic), Somaq (sumac), Of course, the first thing that Iranians put on the Haft Sin table is the Quran and also a mirror. This nostalgic Haft Sin table is one of the inseparable elements of Nowruz that we are always eager to arrange and decorate. In the last hours of the year, all the members of the family sit around the Haft-e-Sin table and pray for a happy and prosperous year. Some people keep the Haftsin table for thirteen days and on the thirteenth day, they throw the Grass (Sabzeh) of the Haftsin into the water.

Cooking Sabzi Polo ba Mahi (Persian Herbed Rice with Fish) has been one of the main customs of Nowruz, which is usually served as lunch or dinner on the first day of Nowroz (Farvardin). The philosophy of cooking this food is probably due to the symbol of each of its ingredients, fish is a symbol of liveliness, vegetables are a symbol of spring and rice can be the representerof blessing.

On the first day of Nowruz we go to visit the elders of the family. Usually, during this holiday, the younger ones visit the elders in the first week. Older relatives give money to the younger, that we called it Eidi, and in the second week, the younger ones wait at home for the older one.

In recent years, many families travel during the Nowruz holiday.

The last ceremony of Nowruz is on the thirteenth day of spring. This day is known as Nature Day or 13 be dar and it is considered as one of the National holidays. When the 13th of spring arrives, everyone was trying to spend this day in the best way and end the Nowruz holiday with a happy memory. On this day, people come out of their houses to be in the lap of nature. One of the most prominent rituals on this day is tying a grass. There is an old belief among Iranians that on this day, to achieve the goal, grass must be tied with a special intention to be fulfilled.