Nowruz is the Persian New Year celebration that marks the beginning of spring. Nowruz translates to “new day.” I grew up celebrating Nowruz – it’s a joyful holiday with many special traditions and core themes of renewal, rebirth, and fertility.
Nowruz festivities usually last two weeks and involve many visits from family members and friends to pay respects and welcome in the new year. In this post, learn how Nowruz is typically celebrated with beautiful decorations and delicious food!
How do we typically celebrate Nowruz?
We start with a spring cleaning, and then you’ll usually see people filled in the streets shopping for something new, whether it’s clothing, sweets, or dried fruit and nuts.
Traditional activities for celebrating Nowruz include setting up a Haft-Seen table. This is a table you set up in your home that has several different items displayed on it. Each item has a different symbolic meaning, and all the items begin with the letter “S!”
Other Nowruz activities also take place such as jumping over bonfires to symbolize purification or shaking Sabzeh grass to encourage abundance in the coming year, fireworks, and eating sabzi polo or baghali polo with fish like mahi ba zaferan to make hearts lively and bring happiness.
To wish someone well on Nowruz, we usually say “Nowruz Mubarak” which means “Happy New Year.”
The Persian Haft Seen table
Following are the common items beginning with ‘S’ that you will find on a Haft-Seen table along with their symbolic meaning:
- Sonbol – Usually a purple hyacinth fragrant flower symbolizing spring’s arrival, but any fresh flowers will work here. I’ll often have both.
- Sabzeh – Wheat, lentil, or barley sprouts growing in a dish, symbolizing renewal and rebirth. See below for how to grow them.
- Samanu – A sweet pudding made from wheat germ, symbolizing prosperity.
- Sib – Apples or oranges with the skin on to symbolize beauty, health, and vitality.
- Senjed – Dried fruit of the Oleaster tree, a.k.a the Russian Olive, which symbolizes love.
- Sir – Garlic symbolizes health, medicine, and healing.
- Somagh – Red sumac berries symbolize the color of sunrise and the dawning of a new day.
- Serekh – Vinegar in a carafe symbolizes age and the virtue of patience.
- Sekeh – Coins to symbolize wealth.
Other non-S items you’ll usually find on the table include:
- Mirror – Symbolizes self-reflection and introspection.
- Decorated eggs – One egg for each family member symbolizes fertility.
- Bowl of goldfish – Symbolizes life and vitality.
- Dried fruit and nuts – Symbolize abundance, fertility, health, and wealth as well as bring luck.
- Crystal bowl with water & orange – Visually symbolizes the earth floating in space.
- Candles – Lit to symbolize happiness and illumination.
How to grow sprouts for Nowruz
You can use wheat, lentil, or barley for the sprouts. It takes a couple of weeks for them to get to a beautiful height, so it’s best to start them 2-3 weeks before Nowruz.
Start by placing your wheat, lentil, or barley in a bowl and covering them with cold water. The lentils need about 2 days, and the wheat or barley need 2-3 days. Be sure to change the water daily by straining it out and adding fresh, cold water.
If using wheat, be sure to purchase unpelted wheat. This is wheat that hasn’t been broken. They will be ready when you notice little white sprouts sticking out of the seeds.
Transfer them to a flat plate, cover them with a moist paper towel, and sprinkle them with water daily to keep the paper towel moist.
Note: Do not let the sprouts get soggy, or they will mold and not grow.
After 2-3 days, the sprouts should be growing, and once they reach about 1/2 inch tall, you can remove the paper towel. Place them in a bright area like a window sill, and continue to water them daily.
Dishes & recipes
From heaps of dill rice to melt-in-your-mouth cardamom rose cookies, Persian Nowruz dishes are a feast for your eyes and your stomach!
Nowruz FAQs
The Nowruz celebrations last about 2 weeks.
The Haft-seen table is the main event, and decorated eggs, flowers, green sprouts, and lit candles can be found all around the home. You may also see paintings or drawings that show springtime scenes.
People do exchange small symbolic gifts. Sweet gifts are popular like cookies, pastries, and dried fruits.
Learn more about Persian cuisine
Interested in learning more about Persian cuisine? Try one of our traditional recipes, learn about pantry items, and more.
