March is kind of a big deal...

...at least in my household. I love love LOVE this time of year. Not only because my birthday is coming up. And not only because of the NCAA Tournament (which I'm not following this year and I don't want to talk about it). But it's a festive month for us Iranians! The Persian New Year (Norooz meaning "new day") starts on the first day of spring (March 20th) and there is a whole slew of festivities and traditions we follow in anticipation of the big day to ring in year 1387. Iranians and Afghanis follow the solar calendar officially, which begins on the spring equinox, and is more accurate than the Gregorian calendar which we follow in the states.

First, we do the annual "spring cleaning" which in Farsi the literal translation is "house shake-up." Because that is exactly what we do dammit. Growing up, during this time of the year, I'd help my mom clean the entire house from floor to ceiling, to the point where there wasn't a speck of dust left anywhere. We'd reorganize everything from kitchen cabinets to the linen closets to the tools in the garage. We'd clean curtains and rugs, polish the silverware and decorations. I never understood why I'd have to vacuum behind my bed when no one sees it anyway? When it got to the point of taking my books off my shelves to dust them, I'd deliberately start hacking and coughing and allege that the "spring cleaning" was exacerbating my asthma. Of course, this is also around the time I began obsessively organizing my clothes and sock drawers by color. Blame it on the yearly house shake-up. I never knew this but apparently, in ancient times, Persians believed that spirits of deceased families and friends were going to visit, thus triggering a frenzy of house cleaning for the occasion.

Then we shop for food. We started out at the normal american grocery stores...Giant, Mars, Superfresh. Then make our way to the persian grocery store. During the week leading up to the New Year, my parents would shop almost daily, realizing they forgot one last thing! Man, this was the best time of year - we had to stock two refrigerators. We're talking endless amounts of fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, rice, pistachios, nuts, dried fruits, sugar-coated almonds, an array of persian cookies and pastries and ice cream...

My mom had a ritual for the traditional persian new year spread that every Iranian family arranged in their houses a week before the new year: green sprouts had to be washed and soaked while she closed her eyes and prayed for good things to come in the new year, then she would carefully watch them grow in the sunlight by our kitchen window. Then I would be instructed to paint a few hard-boiled eggs with my own special designs, which usually consisted of the Iranian flag colors that I would almost always paint in the wrong order (green, white THEN red dammit). Goldfish were bought and put in a makeshift fishbowl. And the most distinctive memory of Norooz I have is the strong scent of the hyacinth plants we'd buy to bring in the spring season. Since I know you're all curious, I've included a diagram of the Sofreh Haft-sin (Arrangement of the 7 items that begin with "s"). Each "s" item has symbolic meaning to it. (I've stolen it from this article).

Persian Name	Definition	Description & Symbolism
Sabzeh	Spring Sprouts	Made from wheat or lentil this S signifies rebirth and renewal.
Senjed	A sweet, dry fruit of a lotus tree	The fragrant and blooming lotus tree makes people fall in love so it is natural that its fruit would signify love and affection.
Sib	Apple	A big red apple represents health and beauty.
Samanu	Wheat Pudding	Wheat and wheat products signify sweetness and fertility.
Serkeh	Vinegar	White Vinegar signifies age and patience.
Somagh	Crushed Sumac berries	This S symbolizes the spice of life. Some say Somagh represents the color of the sunrise and with the sun all evil is conquered.
Seer	Garlic	This medicinal S is a sign of good health.
Sekeh	Gold Coins	Wealth and Prosperity
Sonbol	Hyacinth Flower	Purple or pink hyacinth are common on the Sofreh and also represent life and beauty.
Gold Fish	Mahi	Gold Fish in a clear white bowl represents life and the end of the astral year associated with the constellation Pisces.
Ayne	Mirror	To bring light & brightness into the New Year
Sha’am	Two Candelabras	Candles large or small can be used and symbolize fire & energy.
Tokhm-e Morgh	Decorated Eggs	Symbolizes fertility. Eggs are painted by children much like Easter eggs are painted.
Ajil	Assorted Nuts	Iranians love nuts. They can be roasted pistachios, walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts
Scriptures	Koran, Bible, Torah, Avesta or other Scriptures, or Poetry depending on beliefs	Symbolizes blessings and faith in the New Year. You can also place a Divan-e Hafez or other book of faith and knowledge.

My favorite tradition is the shopping for clothes and gifts. You aren't supposed to buy gifts for elders (other than maybe flowers out of respect), but for only those younger than you. Being the youngest of the family, I definitely reaped the benefits of this tradition. But best of all, I get to spoil my nieces and nephews. It is persian tradition to wear brand new clothes, right down to your undies, for the new year countdown. I didn't make up the rules, and I don't question them.

The last Tuesday night before March 20th is a persian holiday called Chahar-shanbeh Souri ("Red Eve of Wednesday"). Basically, you round up all your friends and relatives in a field somewhere, light a couple bonfires, eat some warm Persian soup, jump over the bonfires, and dance your ass off in celebration of the last Wednesday of the year. The significance of jumping over fire is you want the fire to take your sickness and problems from the prior year and in turn give you warmth and energy for the upcoming year.

On the eve of Norooz (which occurs at 1:48am EST this Thursday, March 20), you eat a specially prepared meal with your family consisting of smoked white fish and dill rice, then count down (literally, like the December 31st countdown), and hug and kiss everyone in the spirit of the new year. The phone usually starts to ring off the hook by then by relatives across the pond calling to wish a Happy New Year.

Oh, it doesn't end there...but I do. I will explain the post-new year traditions after Thursday. I still have some last minute shopping to do. Noroozeh hamegi mobarak! ("Happy New Year to everyone").