celebrating norooz - fezana

Celebrating NoRooz

Ten thousand years ago, the Iranian king, Jamshid Peshdadian, started the

festival of NoRooz (meaning “new day” in Persian) to celebrate the coming of spring. It symbolized

the triumph of good over the evil, as light literally took over the darkness of winter. The coming of

spring was especially significant for the pastoral community in ancient Iran as it heralded warmer

weather when farmers could begin sowing their fields and animals gave birth to their offspring.

Today, NoRooz is celebrated all around the world by people influenced by Iranian culture,

notably the Zarathushtis (Zoroastrians), Shi’ite Muslims, Bahais, and Kurds. It has the unique

distinction of being the only holiday celebrated as their own by several religious groups.

NoRooz is not a one day celebration. People prepare for it for several weeks, starting with

“spring cleaning” their homes. The New Year is welcomed at the exact time when the lengths of the

night and day are equal, which is at the Vernal Equinox. As the solar year is 365 days, five hours, 49

minutes and 4 seconds, NoRooz does not fall on the same day each year but moves between March

19th and 22nd in the Gregorian calendar, although traditionally the holiday is on March 21. At the exact

moment of the New Year, the oldest person in the family hugs each family member and offers them

sweets and gifts of coins.

Celebrations include setting a thanksgiving table laden with Nature’s bounties, such as wine,

honey, fruit, flowers, pots with growing grains, sweets, painted eggs, coins, goldfish and candles, to

represent prosperity, sweetness, and the beginning of new life.

Festivities continue for thirteen days. The first few days are spent visiting members of the

family and friends, feasting and exchanging gifts. On the last day, people have picnics in parks or on

river banks to spend a day in nature. The sprouted grains are thrown into running water to carry away

any bad luck that the family has seen in the past year. **

NoRooz Greetings

NoRooz Mubarak

NoRooz Pirooz

Sad Saal be in Saal-ha

Happy New Year

Wishing you a

prosperous New Year

Wishing you 100 more

happy New Years

Celebrating NoRooz

2 | [email protected]

SSPPRRIINNGG IINN YYOOUURR HHEEAARRTT

God softly whispers to us As gentle rains caress

The countryside, with drops of life In such pure tenderness.

And if you listen close enough

I'm sure that He'll impart The freshness of Spring upon your soul

And a flower in your heart.

Marilyn Ferguson

King Jamshid, the Glorious One Tradition takes NoRooz [Parsi-Zoroastrians say it as Navroz] as far back as 15,000

years -- before the last ice age. King Jamshid (Yima or Yama of the Indo-Iranian lore; also

known as Jamsheed, Jamshed) symbolizes the transition of the Indo-Iranians from animal

hunting to animal husbandry and a more settled life in human history. Seasons played a

vital part then. Everything depended on the four seasons. After a severe winter, the

beginning of spring was a great occasion with Mother Nature rising up in a green robe of

colorful flowers and the cattle delivering their young. It was the dawn of abundance.

Jamshid is said to be the person who introduced NoRooz celebrations. (Ali Jafarey, CAIS).

Firdausi writes in the Shahnameh (Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings): “Although

Jamshid had accomplished all these things, he strove to climb even higher. With his royal

farr he constructed a throne studded with gems, and had demons raise him aloft from the

earth into the heavens; there he sat on his throne like the sun shining in the sky. The

world's creatures gathered in wonder about him and scattered jewels on him, and called

this day the New Day, or No-Rooz. This was the first day of the month of Farvardin, at

the beginning of the year, when Jamshid rested from his labors and put aside all rancor.

His nobles made a great feast, calling for wine and musicians, and this splendid festival

has been passed down to us, as a memorial to Jamshid.”

Celebrating NoRooz


Jamshid was indeed a glorious

king. In the Younger Avesta, Yima is

described as the king of the Paradise

of the Golden Age of mankind, ‘who

got out from the Daevas, both energy

and fervor, both sheep and cattle,

both satiety and reputation; (and)

under whose rule both kinds of

undiminishing nourishment were

available for consummation, both

cattle and men were imperishable,

both water and plants were not

drying up, there was neither frost nor

heat, neither old age nor death, nor

envy produced by the daevas.’

According to the Shahnameh, Jamshid

was the fourth king of the world. He

had command over all the angels and

demons of the world, and was both

king and high priest of Hormozd

(middle Persian for Ahura Mazda).

He was responsible for many

inventions that made life more secure

for his people: the manufacture of armor and weapons, the weaving and dying of linen, silk

and wool, the building of houses of brick, the mining of jewels and precious metals, the

making of perfumes and wine, the navigation of the waters of the world in sailing ships. The

sudreh and kusti are also attributed to Jamshid. He was said to have had a magical seven-

ringed cup, the Jām-e Jam which was filled with the elixir of immortality and allowed him to

observe the universe. As mentioned by Ali-Akbar Dehkhoda, it was believed that one could

observe all the seven heavens of the universe by looking into it. It was believed to have been

discovered in Persepolis in ancient times. The whole world was said to be reflected in it, and

divinations within the Cup were said to reveal deep truths. (Wikipedia).The popular Gujrati

newspaper Jam-e-Jamshid published in Mumbai, India is named after this legendary cup.

One of the legends surrounding King Jamshid is that he was the one who discovered

wine. However, Patrick E. McGovern in his book Ancient Wine The Search for the Origins of

Viniculture (2003) writes about sifting fact from legend: “A Persian tale of a king Jamshid,

otherwise unknown in that country's dynastic history, is very endearing. The monarch was

fond of fresh grapes and stored them in jars to have a year-round supply. One consignment

unfortunately went bad, and the jar was labeled as poison. Suffering from severe headaches,

The Court of Jamshid Iran, Tabriz, Safavid period, 1520s Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper Lent to the Smithsonian’s Museums of Asian Art by the Ebrahimi Family Collection

Celebrating NoRooz


a harem consort then mistakenly drank from the jar and fell into a deep sleep, to awake

miraculously cured. She informed the king of what had happened, and, in his wisdom, he

discerned that the "poison" was actually fermented grape juice or wine with medicinal

effects. He then ordered more such poison to be prepared, and thus humanity embarked

upon its ages-long wine odyssey. The Jamshid story says nothing about how a mass of solid

grapes could have fermented into a liquid beverage. Was the same procedure followed to

make subsequent batches? There is also no mention of the domestication of the grapevine

and vineyard management. In short, it is a simple tale, floating somewhere in time, like many

other origin legends. If its historical details are suspect, it cannot be a basis for inferring that

Iran is the homeland of winemaking, as has been done.”

During his 300 years of prosperous rule, longevity increased, sicknesses were

banished, and peace and prosperity reigned. This paradisiacal rule was lost owing to a sin

committed by Jamshid. His pride grew with his power, and he began to forget that all the

blessings of his reign were due to God. He boasted to his people that all of the good things

they had came from him alone, and demanded that he should be accorded divine honors, as

if he were the Creator. As a result of which the Royal Glory (Khvarena) withdrew from him.

Yasht 19,33.34 states ‘when Yima had added the lie, the untrue word, to his account, the

Royal Glory flew away from him and evil enterted into the world’. The ruler of Arabia,

Zahhāk, made war upon Jamshid, and he was welcomed by many of Jamshid's dissatisfied

subjects. Jamshid fled from his capital halfway across the world, but finally he was killed and

dissected by a person Spityura by name who seems to have offered the pieces of Yima’s body

to the Devs (Humbach). **

Sources: - Dr. Ali Akbar Jafarey. No-Rooz, The Zarathushtrian New Year. Iran Chamber Society. - Helmut Humbach (Mainz). Yama/Yima/Jamsh>d, King of Paradise - Patrick E. McGovern. (2013). Ancient Wine: The Search for the Origins of Viniculture. Princeton University Press

May your New Year smell sweet! One of the rituals of NoRooz is to sprinkle visitors with rosewater to symbolize a sweet-smelling future. Jamshid, the Peshdadian king who started the festival of NoRooz, is also credited with being the first perfumer. The famous Iranian historian and theologian, Tabari, believed that Jamshid was the original maker of perfumes. He wrote: “Jamsheed picked up many useful things, including aromatic plants when he was traveling in various lands, seas, and mountains”. Famous Iranian poet, mathematician and astronomer Omar Khayyam documented that Jamsheed had an access to ambergris, myrrh, camphor, saffron and other aromatic plants.

M. Saadat Noury. First Iranians who introduced Perfumery. www.iranian.com

Celebrating NoRooz


THE SPREAD OF THE 365-DAY CALENDAR

To investigate the origins of the Iranian NoRooz (literally new day), one is compelled to go back a

great deal in time, well beyond 3000 years in fact. The date of today’s NoRooz may have its origins in

the Babylonian Lunar Year, known as the Nisannu.

The Nissanu – The Babylonian Year

Although not generally acknowledged, it

was the Babylonians who, since the beginning of

recorded civilization, have devised techniques for

measuring the passage of time, namely day, night

and year. The day was viewed as lying between

the onset of two consecutive evenings. The

Babylonian calendar month was defined as that

time when the full moon appeared. There were two

problems with this of course. First, is the problem

that the moon’s visibility could be limited by

factors such as cloud thickness or density. The

second problem is that the Babylonian lunar

system is out of synchrony with the solar year and

the regular seasons. Today, it is generally

acknowledged that the earth takes approximately

365 ¼ days to revolve around the sun. Therefore, the solar system is eleven days longer than the

twelve full moons of the Babylonian system. As a result, the Babylonian system was asynchronous

with the earth’s natural seasons. To rectify this problem, the Babylonians responded by adding an extra

month from time to time, to their twelve full moon (lunar) months.

By the time of Cyrus the Great’s relatively peaceful conquest of Babylon (539 B.C.), the

Babylonians had developed an impressive knowledge of time. They had already discovered the

equation of 19 years as being equal to 235 months. From the 5th century B.C., the Babylonians had

established a cycle of seven intercalations every 19 years. Note that as before, the beginning of every

new month came with the onset (roughly) of every new moon. This resulted in the Babylonian New

Year on Nissanu 1st, falling onto early Spring. It would appear that this specific Babylonian date

entered the Aryan NoRooz festival.

The Nisannu & The Iranian NoRooz Festival of March 21st

Cyrus the Great’s conquest of Babylon, bought the concept of Spring as the onset of the new

year into wider Iranian culture around 2,500 years ago. The Achaemenid government adopted the

Babylonian New Year beginning at Nisannu 1st, approximately the time of the vernal equinox, or

Celebrating NoRooz


March 21st. But it is here where the similarity with the Babylonians ends. The rituals and mythology of

the festival itself have been since the inception of the Aryans, and remain to this day, an Iranian

phenomenon.

NoRooz was not only a seasonal and climactic

renewal, but an occasion to renew the pledges of

friendship, loyalty, camaraderie, and peace between

peoples of all races in the ancient Persian Empire, both

Iranian and non-Iranian. The pledges were

symbolically expressed by bringing gifts to the King, a

gesture immortalized on the silent walls of Persopolis,

destroyed by Alexander in 333 BC. The Achaemenids

made clear that theirs was a multiracial and

multilingual empire. Persia from its inception was

founded on the Prophet Zarathushtra’s message of the

universal brotherhood of humanity. The western world has generally been able to praise the Greeks for

their founding of democracy; few in the west realize that it was in Persia where the universal

declaration of human rights were proclaimed. A facsimile of Cyrus’s declaration is embedded in the

UN building in New York City to this day.

The Iranian NoRooz Festival of March 21st and the 365 day Year

Despite their advanced understanding of time, the Babylonians were surpassed in their

understanding of days and years by the Aryan Magi priests of the Medes and the Persians. The Iranian

Magi calculated the day as being situated between two consecutive sunrises. It is also worth noting that

by Achaemenid times, Babylonian months had obtained Persian names in the records of Iranian

peoples, in effect transforming the Babylonian calendar into a Perso-Babylonian one.

It is actually not known when the Achaemenids actually adopted the entire Babylonian calendar

system. This system may already have been known to the Persians and Medes even before they

conquered Babylon under Cyrus the Great. The Elamites of ancient southwest Iran, already had an

advanced civilization before the arrival of the Aryans into Persia, had passed a great deal of their

knowledge to the Persians, before they united with Medes to form the first truly world (Achaemenid)

Empire.

The Iranian New Year or NoRooz is calculated differently from the Babylonian system. What

is remarkable about the Zarathushti system, is how “modern” it appears to be. The Zarathushti system,

unlike the Babylonian, is based on the sun. The Zarathushti year, like the Babylonian system, is also

divided into twelve months. Each of these months has thirty days. It is interesting that the skilled

workmen who worked on the city-palace of Persopolis were in fact paid at the end of each thirty day

month. With the Zarathushti system, the 30-day month system of 12 months would make total of 360

days in the year. However, the 360 day cycle most likely pre-dates the Zarathushti religion and was

Celebrating NoRooz


known by other ancient Aryan cults, such as those in India. The Rigveda of Aryan India defines the

year as being 360 days long. The Egyptians also used a similar system.

It was during the Sassanian era when this system became widespread amongst the Iranians of

Persia in the third century AD. There is considerable dispute however, as to actual origins of the

Zarathushti calendar however – the proposed dates range from 3209 B.C. to 325 A.D!

Whatever the date of origin, the Zarathushti Magi improved on the 360-day system. Most

significant is the fact that the actual solar year is 365 ¼ days. The full Zarathushti year became 360

plus 5 days – this was the 365 day year. The calculations of the Magi certainly came very close to the

solar year, and was only short by a ¼ of a day.

To correct this, the Magi advanced their calendar by a full day every four years. Fravardin the

1st (the Zarathushti New Year), fell on June 16th 632 AD, and then on the 15th of June 636 AD.

Fravardin, like all other Zarathushti months, was based on Zarathushti divine entities. Fravardin is a

derivative of ‘Fravashis’ or angels of justice who possess bounty and power. Each day of the month

had its own name. These names remained

the same in all months, of course.

Interestingly, the first day of the month was

called Ohrmazd, after the great God, Ahura

Mazda.

The Spread of the 365 Day

Calendar

The Iranian (or more specifically

Zarathushti) calendar influenced on

European and Judeo-Christian religions must

be addressed. Western historians have been

aware of the Zarathushti calendar since

antiquity. Quintus Curtius makes reference

to 365 young men who followed the ancient

Zarathushti chants of the Magi as the army

of Darius III deployed against Alexander the

Great in 333 B.C. Specifically, Curtius (III.

iii. 10) states that “their number was equal to

that of the days of the whole year”. As noted

previously, the Medo-Persian Magi knew of

the 365 days since the days of Cyrus or more

likely, earlier.

How did the Europeans come to

adopt the 365 day system? The Europeans

Celebrating NoRooz


came to adopt a great of Persia’s culture by way of the many migrating Iranian speaking as well as

later Turkic speaking nomadic peoples of the Central Asian and Ukrainian steppes. In fact, variations

of the Zarathushti system had spread well beyond the borders of Persia, mainly by way of Iranian

peoples. The Zarathushti calendar and its variations, were in use in ancient Central Asia amongst the

Iranian Magi of Soghdia, Transoxiana and Chorasmia. Much of Iranian culture and mythology has

survived intact in Central Asia, despite the almost full takeover of the region by non-Iranian Turkic

peoples by the 11th century AD. Powerful traces of Zarathushti culture remain amongst the surviving

Iranian speaking peoples of the Pamirs and Tajikestan.

The Zarathushti calendar also spread to ancient Cappadocia, modern Northeast Turkey, a

region in which numerous peoples such as Greeks, Armenians and Iranians lived side by side and

mixed. This region is still home to a very large Iranian speaking population (Bahdenani Kurds), and

was the birthplace of Mithridates of Eupador who nearly defeated Roman Emperor Pompei.

Cappadocia had direct links to the Ionian Greeks of modern western Turkey as well as the European

Greeks of Athens.

The Armenian kingdom, the first nation to officially accept Christianity, also used the

Zarathushti calendar. This is because the Armenians aristocracy were of Iranian origin. These were

those Parthians who had refused to accept the Sassanian takeover in Persia by 226 AD. After the

conversion of Armenia to Christianity, her involvement in the cultural and political life of the Roman

and later Byzantine Empire was to greatly increase. Many of the architectural, artistic, military and

mythological themes of the Persia did spread from Armenia to the west; the likelihood of the

Armenians introducing the Zarathushti system to the Europeans is certainly possible.

Another source may be seen in the persecuted Manichean sect of Persia (see box below) which

spread to Europe in the West and up to Northern China in the East during the 3rd century and after.

Like the migratory peoples, Cappadocians, and Armenians cited earlier, the Manicheans may have also

bought much of Persia’s arts, architecture and ideas to Western and Eastern Europe. Manicheism

appears to have directly influenced many of the later European “heresies”, such as the Bogomil

movement of present day Bosnia. Evidence of the Manicheans influencing the Chinese are found in the

Ta-yun Kuang-ming Ssu temple (a Manichean church) of ancient Chang’An – a city of over one

million residents. The Manichean Magi, certainly knew of the NoRooz and the concept of the 365 days

– their Bogomil successors in Southern France were known as the “Meitros” (derived from the Iranian

Mitras). **

Source: Dr. Kaveh Farrokh. Excerpt from “Origins of Now-Ruz (New Year), the Nissanu and the 365 Day Year”. Retrieved from http://www.kavehfarrokh.com/iranica/achaemenid-era/origins-of-now-ruz-new-year-the-nissanu-and-the-365-day-year/

Celebrating NoRooz


Shake-Up Your Home

Spring cleaning the home before NoRooz is called

Khaneh (home or house) Tekani (shake-up). During the

Khaneh-Tekani, all members of the home help and

cooperate in thoroughly cleaning every nook and cranny

of the home. Debris from the past is removed from within

the home and detritus from the outside. Carpets and

curtains are washed, silverware polished, and windows

cleaned.

After the cleaning, fragrant plants such as

hyacinths and tube roses are brought into the house to

freshen the air. Some Zarathushtis in India burn

sandalwood in a fire chalice [afarghan] and walk the

chalice throughout the house daily, filling air in the house

with the scent of sandalwood. In the same manner,

Zarathushtis in Iran burn sweet-smelling herbs like wild

rue and esfand. Some believe that the aromatic fumes

help ward off evil spirits while welcoming the spirits of the departed during the Farvardigan Days [ten

days before NoRooz].

Sarah Aguirre, a writer who specializes in helping families clean and organize their homes,

offers these tips to involve the whole family.

Make sure the assigned day has no prior engagements during the time period allotted for work.

Check and recheck schedules and plan ahead. Don't accept excuses. Let everyone know that this is

a family event and they are all strongly invited to be there.

Turn off the ringers to your phones, and let extended family and friends know that you’ll be

unreachable that day. A distraction can cause the whole job to fall apart.

Invite everyone to bring his or her favorite CD or cassette tape. Take turns playing each of the

CD’s or cassettes. To be fair pull names out of a hat to determine order.

Have some good snacks and drinks on hand for break times. Choose your families' favorites.

Having predetermined breaks can keep the family motivated to keep working.

Make chores age appropriate. Do not expect children who are too young to participate in heavy

cleaning and organizing. Have work that they can do available or create alternate activities that still

help. Sorting safe items can be good for preschool and school age children. If some of your

children are too young to participate consider having a trusted relative or friend take care of them

during the cleanup.

Celebrating NoRooz


Plan a reward for when the job is finished. Take the family out to a movie and/or dinner. Or if you

are all too tired from your hard work, order a pizza and rent a movie. You’ll all be able to lounge

on the couch basking in the knowledge of a job well done.

After spring cleaning, the home is ready for a fresh start to the new year. **

Sources: - Khaneh-Tekani. www.heritageinstitute.com. Painting of Khaneh-Tekani also from the same site. - Sarah Aguirre. Tips for Family Clean Up Day. www.about.com

Renewing Your Spirit Spring is the long-awaited change after a dark, cold winter. Seeds sprout, flowers bloom, and

the sun warms the earth. There is a sense of renewal and new life all around. While winter is a time to

conserve energy and reduce activity, spring is a time of regeneration, and a renewal of spirit — in more

ways than one.

In ancient times, for the ten days before the NoRooz, consecrated food was set out to feed the

spirits of the departed. These ten days are collectively referred to as Farvardigan. Among Persian

Zarathushtis the ten days may be called “panjî”, while among Parsis the term “mukhtad” is commonly

used.

Yasht.13:49 states, “We revere the righteous, good, powerful, beneficent Fravašis, who come to

the families at the time of Hamaspathmaedaem [at the time of the vernal equinox] there they pass their

life for 10 nights all round” (Translation by T.R. Sethna).

The Yasht proclaims that the fravašis of the righteous come to the

homes of their families for the dual purpose of enjoying being

remembered by their loved ones, and receiving gifts of food and clothing

as they would have if they had been living. Zarathushti traditions include

saying prayers of rememberance and offering fruit, flowers, incense,

wood and money to the visiting spirits who have returned to earth. The

money is later donated to the darbe meher or to a charity in memory of

the loved one. In Iran, children and some adults wrap themselves in

shrouds to act out the visits of the spirits, and knock on doors to ask for

treats. This tradition is similar to modern-day Halloween celebrated in the

West.

The Farvardigan days are also seen as a period of reflection, an

opportunity to examine one’s conscience and repent for past wrongs. It is also a time to forgive, both

those who are living and those who have departed. According to the American Psychological

Association, forgiveness is "the mental, and/or spiritual process of ceasing to feel resentment,

indignation or anger against another person for a perceived offense, difference or mistake, or ceasing to

Celebrating NoRooz


demand punishment or restitution". Forgiveness does not mean that we dismiss or condone what

someone did that was hurtful or wrong. It is about setting yourself free from the holds of the past, and

you can do that by releasing the past so it no longer has control over your thoughts or the way you feel.

Forgiveness is operating in the present where the hurt and anger no longer hold power. It ties in with

the Zarathushti principle of Fravarane or free choice: Astuye humatem mano, Astuye huktem vacho,

Astuye hvarshtem shyaothnem, or “I choose to think good thoughts, I choose to speak good words, I

choose to do good deeds”. The days before NoRooz are the ideal time to “choose” to let go the past

hurts and look towards the future. After all, spring is about new beginnings. **

Source: - Farishta Dinshaw. Healing Power of Forgiveness. HAMAZOR, Summer 2004, publication of World Zoroastrian

Organization. - USHAO: Volume IV no. 12. (February 2004). Fravašis and Fravardégân. Informal Religious Meetings, Karachi.

Originally taken from the book Man, Soul, Immortality In Zoroastrianism by Faramroze A. Bode.

INNER RENEWAL

"If you're looking for inner peace from the outside world, you're not going to get that.

The inner peace starts with looking at you from the inside.

Understanding that everything that comes to you is what you are.

Everything from friends to boyfriends to the job you get

- it's all a direct reflection of what you are on the inside."

-- Mary J. Blige

Inner peace is revealed when the inner war ends. We stop looking outside ourselves for

solutions to our problems and, instead, turn our attention inward to make peace with our own

experience. This simple movement of attention is revolutionary. It heals, calms, and clarifies like

nothing else.

From Darkness to Light

We are experts at denying our experience. Take any habit that doesn’t serve you –

compulsively shopping or staying busy, self-judgment, jealousy. If you trace it back to its root, you

will find an expectation or feeling you have been avoiding.

These hidden aspects of ourselves thrive when we ignore them, leaving fear, desire, and lack to

unconsciously drive our behavior. Once they are illuminated by becoming aware, we see how they

operate, and we can make a different choice. No more conflict. No more confusion. Finally, peace.

Unearthing our inner experiences is like treasure hunting. Each one is a breadcrumb leading us

out of the wilderness of discontent and into the light of a simple, conscious, lovely way of being.

Celebrating NoRooz


Suffering ends and freedom begins, leaving us available to happiness, wonder, enjoyment, and

creativity.

Exploring your triggers takes courage and openness. Prepare yourself for the journey by being willing:

1. To be honest

2. To feel pain but not wallow in it

3. To let go of the old and change

4. To contemplate a new kind of inner life not beset by distress and disturbance

5. To be happy and peaceful

Now, begin to explore. Showing up as a loving presence to yourself is one of the most sane and

compassionate things you could ever do.

1. When you are triggered, rather than playing it out in the usual way, stop and breathe.

2. Simply notice the thought patterns, feelings, and bodily sensations that are present. Don’t freak out

– just be curious. What are you thinking? What is the energy behind the thoughts? What feelings

and physical sensations are present? These questions allow you to become familiar with how your

habits work so they no longer control you.

3. Find the most loving place inside you – the soft spot that melts when you encounter puppies,

babies, or those most dear to you. Pour this love into the tension and painful feelings. This is the

healing balm that untangles the knot.

4. Rinse and repeat every time you are struggling.

5. Move forward in a way that supports your clarity, happiness, and well being.

Example #1: Holding a Grudge

Say that you have been carrying around a grudge for a decade or two. To keep this grudge

alive, you must be telling yourself a story about what should and shouldn’t have happened. You feel

churned up inside, and your reaction is activated every time you face a person or situation that triggers

the memories. This is no way to live.

Your thoughts about what happened are keeping you stuck. Release yourself by letting go of

the story and feeling right into the pain. Break it down into its elements – thoughts and physical

sensations. This is the experience that’s been plaguing you all along. Love those tender feelings, then

go forth with fresh eyes.

This process doesn’t condone what happened, and it has nothing to do with the other person.

It’s a choice you make for your peace and happiness.

Example #2: Relationship Problems

How many of us blame the other person for struggles in our relationships? We get caught in the

trap of “if only” – if only the other would change, then I will feel more peaceful. This mindset will

Celebrating NoRooz


never solve the problem because you are making your peace dependent on something you can’t control

– what other people say and do.

If your relationships bring you stress, make peace with your own reactions. Turn your attention

inward to lovingly meet the frustration, disappointment, or fear that is triggered in you. Even though

you may not like what you realize, when you accept things as they are, you are at peace. And seeing

your role in the problem unlocks the possibility of experimenting with new and compassionate

solutions.

Example #3: Habits and Addictions

Maybe you engage in a compulsive pattern that involves your actions, thoughts, or feelings. All

challenging habits mask an unexplored emotion, usually fear or sadness.

Do you want to bring ease to your inner world? Stop, breathe, and move your kind attention

into the feeling you’ve been avoiding. Love it every time it arises. Then follow Leo’s advice on

changing habits, and you are well on your way to freeing yourself.

Can you see the value of becoming aware? Any inner knot can be untangled when you pay

attention to it. Start with whatever is troubling you right now, and know that every moment of

awareness simplifies.

The process of becoming aware is not a panacea that instantly cures all your ills. But you will

notice some changes – space, ease, and, a depth of peace you never knew was possible.

Source: Gail Brenner. Tied Up in Knots? The Minimalist’s Guide to Inner Peace. Retrieved from http://zenhabits.net/peace/

RED WEDNESDAY

The last Wednesday before NoRooz is known as Chahar Shanbeh

Suri meaning Wednesday Feast (The words Chahar Shanbeh means

Wednesday and Suri means red). Bonfires are lit in public places. It is

hoped that the light of the fires will bring enlightenment and happiness

throughout the coming year.

On that day, adults, youth and children alike leap over the flames,

shouting, Sorkhi-ye to az man; Zardi-ye man az to

Give me your beautiful red colour; and take away my yellow [sickly]

pallor!

Ancient Iranians celebrated the last five days of the year in their

annual obligation feast of all souls, Hamaspathmaedaya [also Farvardigan]. They believed that

guardian angels for humans and also the spirits of departed would come back for reunion. With the

http://zenhabits.net/the-habit-change-cheatsheet-29-ways-to-successfully-ingrain-a-behavior/

Celebrating NoRooz


help of fires burning in their yards and terraces, ancient Zarathushtis “tried to keep the sun alive” to

help the souls see their way down to Earth.

However, in Iran they now set up bonfires on the night of the last Tuesday of the year as in

Islamic tradition, Wednesday is an inauspicious day. This is contrary to Zarathuhstrian cosmology

where all days were sacred and named after a major deity. By changing the day of the celebrations,

Iranians were able to preserve the ancient tradition without compromising their newer beliefs. The

festival is celebrated on Tuesday night to make sure all bad spirits are chased away and that

Wednesday will pass uneventfully. It is accompanied by fireworks and great merriment as children

dress up in fancy costumes (similar to Halloween) and go door to door seeking treats, usually

recieving ajeel, a mixture of nuts and berries.

In 2010, Ayotallah Ali Khamenei, Iran's all-powerful cleric, announced that Charshanbeh Suri

had no basis in sharia [Islamic religious law] and that it “creates a lot of harm and corruption, (which

is why) it is appropriate to avoid it.” However, the festival continued with unabated enthusiasm. The

occasion has lost its religious overtones to the revelers who see it as an occasion to have fun with

friends and families. In rural areas and remote villages of Iran, however, people still maintain the

ancient tradition of keeping the fires burning all night on the rooftops and outside the homes. It is

unlikely that they realize that they are maintaining an old Zarathuhstrian tradition. **

Source

Massoume Price, Chahar Shanbeh Soori, The Fire Festival of Persian Peoples. www.cais-soas.com

NoRooz on PBS

KIM LAWTON, guest anchor on Public

Broadcasting Services: On our calendar this week,

Bahais and Zarathushtis prepare for their New

Year, called NoRooz, which occurs at the spring

equinox. The Zarathushti faith began in ancient

Persia, now Iran. Estimates vary widely, but some

claim that only as few as 115,000 Zarathushtis

remain, most in India but also in Iran, Europe, and

North America. To learn more about how Zarathushti Americans celebrate NoRooz, we visited the

Aidun family in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Zarathushti religion teaches that people should do good to

help their one God in his cosmic struggle with the power of evil. We visited a Zarathushti family of

Iranian-Americans, the Aiduns, in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Celebrating NoRooz


FARZAD AIDUN (hugging his children): Happy NoRooz! NoRooz is celebrated at the precise

moment that spring arrives.

The Prophet Zoroaster’s message was very universal, centered around the tenets of good

thoughts, good words and good deeds.

The Haft Seen table is central to the NoRooz celebration. “Seen” is one of the letters of the

alphabet. Items beginning with the letter “seen” are traditionally put on the table.

(Chanting the Ashem Vohu — prayers).

There’s a misconception amongst many that, you know, Zarathushtis are fire worshippers.

Traditionally, it’s customary to pray in front of the fire or pray towards a light source. Light is very

significant in the Zarathushti religion, and it’s a sign of knowledge and wisdom.

(To his son): Now look in the mirror…We offer the mirror. It’s essentially a sign of light. You

look in mirror and you get some rosewater, which is very aromatic. You also get to see yourself and

how you look at the beginning of the year.

(Teaching his children at the kitchen table): Good thoughts, good words, good deeds. I believe

in one God, Ahura Mazda. My God allows me to think and to choose what’s right and wrong. “Asha”

is the law of nature. And as long as you strive to always follow the path of Asha, to make sure that

you’re considering everything in the universe, you will make this world a better place for future

generations to come. **

Source: Transcription of an interview on Public Broadcasting Services. The photo of the Haft Seen table is also from the PBS website. Video available on http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/march-13-2009/Zarathushti-new-year/2446/

The “Haft Seen” Table

Among the best known customs of NoRooz is

the “sofreh haft-seen” – or tablecloth with seven gifts

of Nature with names beginning with the Farsi letter

“seen” [phonic sound ‘suh’]. The Haft Seen table

symbolizes the holiday spirit in much the same way the

Christmas tree promotes a special festive mood, and the

table is kept replenished for thirteen days.

Currently, in Iran, the following items are placed

on the table.

1. Samanu - a sweet pudding made from wheat germ, symbolizes wealth.

2. Seer – (garlic) represents health.

Celebrating NoRooz


3. Seeb – (apple) represents beauty

4. Somaq – special berries that represent the color of the sunrise

5. Serkeh – (vinegar) represents maturity and patience

6. Sonbol - the hyacinth flower with its strong fragrance heralds the coming of spring

7. Sekkeh – (coins) represent prosperity and wealth

A week or so before the holiday, grains of wheat and lentils are placed in bowls to sprout into a

mass of greenery, symbolizing growth. The table is also laden with fruit, nuts, sweets and snacks,

candles, and the holy book. A bowl with goldfish and a basket of colored eggs, indicating new life, are

also placed on the table. Coins and silver are also kept on the table to signify wealth.

Custom dictates that visitors who come to share the holiday with you should be sprinkled with

fragrant rosewater and asked to look into a mirror to make a wish. Some say that this ritual symbolizes

that you smell as sweet as roses and shine as bright as a mirror throughout the new year.

Nowadays in Iran, the celebrations end on the thirteenth day with people going for a picnic by

streams and rivers. The sprouted lentils are thrown into running water, carrying away the bad luck of

the previous year. The table also has a picture of the prohet Asho Zarathushtra, a book of prayers, the

Khordeh Avesta, and a divo (oil lamp) or candles. **

The Symbolism of the Haft Sheen

The seven articles prominently exhibited in plates on the “Haft Sheen” table all begin with the

Farsi letter that sounds like “sh”. The seven plates tell us:

First Plate: I am SHARAB, the wine. I am the nectar. I symbolize health and happiness, of

course, if taken in moderation! To your health!

Second Plate: I am SHAKAR, sugar. I give your favorite foods their sweetness. I symbolize

sweetness.

Third Plate: I am SHIR, milk, the first food one tastes in this world. I symbolize nourishing

food.

Fourth Plate: I am SHIREH, syrup. I am the sap, the fluid essential for life, health and vigor. I

symbolize vigorous health.

Fifth Plate: I SHAHD, honey. I am the sweet produce of the cooperative bees. I symbolize the

sweet result of teamwork.

Sixth Plate: I am SHIRINI, candy, loved by those who have a sweet tooth. I simply symbolize

sweetness with no sign of bitterness.

Seventh Plate: I am SHIR-BERENJ, rice pudding, and a tasty food. I symbolize food for taste

and health.

[On the table] The copy of the Gathas symbolizes guidance for a good life. The picture of Asho

Zarathushtra reminds us of the author of the Gathas, the founder of the Good Religion and the

Celebrating NoRooz


Conveyer of the Divine Message. The mirror reflects our past and shows us our present so that we

thoughtfully plan our future. The candles are light, warmth, and energy to lead a righteous life that

would, in turn, radiate light, give warmth, and provide energy for others. The incense burner gives the

fragrance we need to meditate, pray to God, and ask for help and guidance. The gold fish symbolizes a

happy life, full of activity and movement. The plates of green sprouts represent creativity and

productivity, and so do the colorfully painted eggs. **

Source: Dr. Ali Akhbar Jafarey. NOWRUZ TABLE. https://www.zoroastrian.org/articles/nowruz.htm

A New Norooz Table

The items on the NoRooz table have evolved in the thousands of years that this custom has

been practiced. For example, it is believed that the Haft Seen table came into being in Islamic Persia to

avoid putting “sherab” (wine) on the table as was customary in the Haft Sheen table because alcohol is

forbidden in Islam.

For diasporic Zarathushti communities who are unable to procure items like somaq or for Parsi-

Zarathushtis who do not have the same nostalgic pull towards samanu, Farishta Murzban Dinshaw’s

suggestion is to expand the symblosim of the NoRooz table so that the spirit behind it is the same as

that of the traditional sofreh – to celebrate the gifts of Nature – but with items that are more easily

available in the West. The modified table would continue to have items beginning with the Farsi letter

“sheen” [phonic sound “sh”] to maintain unity with tradition, but incorporate some new items. All

items have origins in natural resources as tradition dictates.

THE CONTEMPORARY SOFREH HAFT SHEEN

1. Sherab (wine) representing health.

Jamshed Peshdadian, the king who initiated the NoRooz celebrations, was also credited for

discovering the medicinal properties of wine. There is a growing body of scientific research that

indicates the polyphenols found in red wines may offer significant antioxidant protection and prevent

various forms of cancer and heart disease.

2. Sheer (milk) representing goodness, purity.

In the jashan ceremonies, milk represents animal life and Vohu Mano or Good Mind.

According to Zarathushti lore in to the post-Sassanid Dadestan i denig (I.31.10), at the time of the

Final Judgment a river of molten metal will flow over the earth. The wicked will be burned but

righteous people will wade through this river as if it was a bath of warm milk.

3. Sherbet (sweetened fruit juice) representing the balance of tartness and sweetness of life.

Sherbet e Sekanjabeen [“sirka anjubin”, literally meaning “honeyed vinegar” ] is a beverage

made from lemon juice and honey and garnished with mint. In olden times, a mixture of honey and

white vinegar was drunk for its medicinal properties as a decongestant and a digestive. Today, sherbet

Celebrating NoRooz


is used as a generic term for any fruit juice but originally it refered to fruit ices. The Persians drank

fruit syrups cooled with snow which were the forerunner of modern day sorbets. Syrup made from rose

petals was highly prized and was a popular flavor for faluda and other sweets. For practical purposes,

you can use any fruit juice, but one that has a traditional association with Persia such as pomegranate

juice (sherbet e anar) or sherbet e sekanjabeen would be better.

4. Shagufeh (buds) representing perfection, happiness, new life.

Flowers are used in Zarathushti rituals and ceremonies to represent immortality and bliss. Each

of the seven Amesha Spentas (immortal beings) have a flower that represents it according to the

Bundahishn. In Iranian tradition, Cypress branches are placed on the NoRooz table as it is symbolic of

truthfulness, youth and freedom. It has also been associated with perfection because of its evergreen

leaves. Placing budding flowers on the NoRooz table instead of open blooms would represent the

coming of spring as well as the practical purpose of increasing the chances that the flowers will remain

fresh for the thirteen days that the table is set.

5. Shama (candle) representing warmth, light, wisdom, radiance of Ahura Mazda.

Fire literally dispels darkness and is often used metaphorically as the light of wisdom

banishing the darkness of ignorance. On a practical note, it would be preferable to have candles made

of beeswax to illustrate an obvious link to nature.

6. Shakar (sugar) representing sweetness.

Sugar has an obvious association with sweetness and good fortune. In Parsi-Zarathushti

ceremonies, the traditional ceremonial tray (ses) contains a silver cone filled with sugar crystals

symbolizing a mountain of sweetness. In Iran, a Kalleh Ghand is used, which is a cone of solid rock

sugar wrapped in green and gold foil. On auspicious occasions like weddings, navjotes, agharnis, sugar

is placed in the mouth of the celebrants.

7. Shahd (honey) representing healing, prosperity, love.

Honey has hydroscopic, antibacterial properties and was used in ancient times to treat open

wounds and burns. In many traditions it is associated with richness and sweetness of live here and in

heaven, and is considered as a symbol for immortality. In ancient Persia, newlywed couples drank

mead [drink made from honey] for a month after they married (known as the "honey month" hence the

term "honeymoon") in order to get in the right frame of mind for a successful marriage. In more literal

terms, honey can also represent sweet rewards through hard work.

SOFREH HAFT SEENI

Seeni is a round tray [like an Indian thaali]. There is a school of thought that believes that the

original NoRooz table in ancient Persia had seven trays containing seven different items that

represented blessings, abundance, bounties of Nature and the coming of spring such as greenery, fruits,

coins, rosewater, mirror, milk, eggs and goldfish. Barsam (branches from the sacred trees of

pomegranate, willow, olive and fig in bunches of three, seven or twelve) were also displayed. This is a

likely explanation of the NoRooz sofreh since Farsi was not spoken in those days. In modern times,

Celebrating NoRooz


families can make this a thanksgiving project and collectively come up with what should be placed on

the seven trays. **

Sources: - Farishta Dinshaw (February 2003). Navrooz Khojeste Bad. Zoroastrian Association of Greater New York Newsletter,

Issue 9.

Eggs Around the World

An egg is a traditional symbol of rebirth. In days gone by

the egg, due to its shape, was a symbol of the earth. For

Zarathushtis, the egg is associated with Jamshidi NoRooz which is

traditionally celebrated on 21 March, the day of the vernal equinox.

At the vernal equinox, day and night are of equal length. After the

equinox, days become longer. This is a return of life after the “dead

of winter” and the official beginning of spring. Many animals,

especially birds, begin their courtship and mating rituals during

spring.

Thanks to its obvious association with the beginning of life, on NoRooz we continue to

decorate eggs as a symbol of spring and renewal.

Zarathushtis are not the only ones to associate eggs with new birth, fertility and the cycle of

life. The egg has also been the basis of many ancient creation stories and spring festivals around the

globe.

The tradition of eggs at Easter dates back to the early days of the church. The ban on eating

eggs during the 46 days of Lent before Easter, established in the 9th century, is what made the egg so

popular at Easter. The eggs were collected and saved and, once the fasting was over, were distributed

to the servants and children, who generally enjoyed them in a huge Easter omelette. During the

Middle Ages, egg throwing festivals were often held in churches. During these festivals, the priest

would throw a hardboiled egg to one of the assembled choir boys. The egg was then tossed from one

choir boy to the next. The boy holding the egg when the clock struck noon was the winner and got to

keep the egg.

The egg is also part of the Jewish Passover holiday that takes place in the Spring. The egg is

placed on the Seder plate and is a symbol of sacrifice and loss, as well as the full cycle of life, and,

therefore, hope and rebirth. In China, red eggs are given out at the one month birthday of a new baby.

It is customary to hold a Red Egg and Ginger Party at this time. Once again, the source seems to be the

egg’s role as a symbol of fertility and the beginning of life.

Have an egg-citing NoRooz! Sources: - Get Cracking. www.eggs.ca - Mama Lisa’s World Blog. www.mamalisa.com

Celebrating NoRooz


Favorite Faluda

One of the staples of the NoRooz feasts is faluda. In ancient times, faluda was more slush-like,

made with fresh mountain snow, rose water, and sugar syrup, but over time the beverage has adapted

to the cuisine of the place where Iranians settled. Parsi-Zoroastrians from India recognize it as a milk

beverage made with sev (noodles) and takhamaria seeds, and topped with ice-cream. Indians add kesar

(saffron) or mangos to faluda but it is the rose faluda which is synonymous with NoRooz. A recipe for

making faluda noodles at home is included for the more experienced cooks. However, you will need a

special press for this. In urban areas with large South Asian or Iranian populations, you may find them

at an ethnic grocery store, or substitute Thai rice sticks or Vietnamese rice vermicelli for hand made

sev. But wherever you may be in the world, when you raise a glass of faluda on NoRooz it is a

celebration of life.

Ingredients:

4 tsp takhamaria seeds (basil seeds)

1 litre milk

6-8 tbsp faluda noodles

1 cup rose syrup (e.g.Rooh Afza)

4 scoops vanilla ice-cream

Method:

Soak the takhamaria seeds in a little milk or water for about 30 minutes. Drain and chill till required

Pour a teaspoon of rose syrup into each glass, which will settle to the bottom of each glass. Divide the

seeds and cooked noodles between the glasses. Pour milk into glasses. Tilt glass a bit, pour milk to 3/4

level, carefully. Chill in the fridge. When ready to serve, top with a scoop of ice cream in each glass.

Serve with long-handled spoons.

For Faluda noodles (sev):

A sev press with medium-fine holed plate (make sure it is oiled so that the mixture doesn’t stick)

1 cup corn flour

2 cups water

Plenty of ice-cold water

Mix cornflour and water. Cook on slow fire, continuously stirring till the paste is transparent. If

required, add a little more water while cooking. While holding the press over a large bowl of ice-water,

carefully spoon the cooked mixture onto the plate and press the noodles into the bowl. Let the noodles

float in the water. Keep in refrigerator to chill till required.

Source: Farishta Dinshaw (2005). NoRooz Mubarak. DAWN newspaper, Karachi, Pakistan

Celebrating NoRooz


NoRooz Candies

On the traditional NoRooz table many people place seven special sweets because legend has it that

King Jamshid discovered sugar on NoRooz. The word “candy” comes from the Persian word for sugar,

qand. These seven sweets are

1. Persian baklava, a sweet, flaky pastry filled with chopped almonds and pistachios soaked in

honey-flavored rose water;

2. Noghls (sugar-coated almonds);

3. Nan-e berenji (rice cookies) made of rice flour flavored with cardamom and garnished with poppy

seeds;

4. Nan-e badami (almond cookies), made of almond flour flavored with cardamom and rose water;

5. Nan-e nokhodchi (chick-pea cookies), made of chick-pea flour flavored with cardamom and

garnished with pistachios;

6. Sohan asali (honey almonds), cooked with honey and saffron and garnished with pistachios;

7. Nan-e gerdui (walnut cookies), made of walnut flour flavored with cardamom and garnished with

pistachio slivers.

Source: globalcookies.blogspot.com. Some recipes available on the website.

Song of Spring

Lord NoRooz has come.

Friends, spread this message -

The New Year has come again!

This spring be your good luck,

The tulip fields be your joy.

Haji Firuz Song

Hāji Firuz is the traditional herald of NoRooz.[In this case, "Hāji" does not refer to the Islamic

title for those who have completed pilgrimage, but is a way to address a man respectfully like using

'sir' to address a gentleman in English without the person being a knight].

He dresses in a distinct way - his face is covered in soot and he is clad in bright red clothes and

a felt hat. While ushering in NoRooz, Hajji Firuz plays a tambourine and sings "Hāji Firuz-e, sal-i-ye

ruz-e" (It is Hāji Firuz time, It happens one day in a year).

People of all ages gather around him and his troupe of musicians and listen to them play the

drum, saz or kamancheh, and dance through the streets with tambourines and trumpets spreading good

Celebrating NoRooz


cheer and the news of the coming New Year. His songs and the sight of his dance is similar to hearing

Christmas carols, telling all that NoRooz is in the air.

Hāji Firuz creates a happy atmosphere as it is believed that if the families are not happy, the

fravashis (souls of departed loved ones) who have come down to earth for the holidays will leave,

resulting in the loss of abundance and blessings from the household. The role of Haji Firuz is to bring

joy, laughter and song to the people.

The blackness of his skin has been the source of some controversy over the racist aspect of a

person with “black face”. Mehrdad Bahar, an Iranian scholar, that the face covered with soot is not

racist in the Western sense of a White man with a painted “black face”, and is derived from ancient

Zarathushti tradition of Chahar Shambhe Suri (red Wednesday). Bonfires are lit to "keep the sun alive"

until early morning. The celebration usually starts in the evening, with people making bonfires in the

streets and jumping over them singing zardi-ye man az to, sorkhi-ye to az man. Loosely translated, this

means “fire take away paleness, sickness, and problems and in turn give us your redness, warmth,

and energy.” According to Bahar, Haji Firuz represents the red-dressed fire keepers of old, who on the

last Wednesday of the year, were sent by the white-dressed Zarathushti priests to spread the news

about the arrival of the NoRooz. The fire-keepers’ second duty was to call on the people to burn their

old items in the bonfires. The fire-keeper's face became

blackened with soot .

Another Iranian scholar, Jafar Shahri, suggests

that Haji Firuz is a more recent addition to the NoRooz

tradition based on the fact that many of the songs refer

to a “Master”. He associates Haji Firuz with African

slave who came to Iran to serve fairer Iranian masters

during the Qajar dynasty. Many wealthy households

imported Black African women and children as slaves

to perform domestic work. This slave labor was drawn

exclusively from the Zanj, who were Bantu-speaking

peoples that lived along the coast of East Africa in an

area roughly comprising modern-day Tanzania,

Mozambique and Malawi.

Whatever the origins, Haji Firuz is an intrinsic part of NoRooz celebrations in Iran. **

Sources: - Mahmoud Omidsalar. Haji Firuz. Encyclopedia Iranica. http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/haji-firuz - The Afro-Iranian Community: Beyond Haji Firuz Blackface, the Slave Trade, & Bandari Music. Posted by Beeta

Baghoolizadeh, June 20, 2012. Ajam Media Collective A Roundup of Perso-Iranian High & Low Culture.

Celebrating NoRooz


Sizdah Bedar

Sizdah Bedar is celebrated on the last day, i.e. the 13th

day, of the NoRooz celebrations. The fire festival of Chahar

Shanbeh Suri welcomes NoRooz, and Sizdah Bedar is one to

escort the celebrations away. The custom is to spend the day

outdoors near water, in parks or the countryside. It is believed

that joy and laughter clean the mind from all evil thoughts and

a picnic with family and friends is a festive, happy event. On

this day, people also release their Haft Seen goldfish into the

water. The festivities continue all day until sunset. People

bring a picnic with fruits, cheese, bread, and other delicacies,

specially a noodle soup called ash’e reshteh.

Traditionally, people play practical jokes on each other and tell white lies on this day, calling it

the thirteenth lie (similar to April Fool’s Day). It is believed to be the oldest prank-tradition in the

world still alive today, which has led many to believe that the origins of the April Fool’s Day goes

back to this tradition that has been celebrated by Persians as far back as 536 BC.

Another tradition on the Sizdah Bedar is the knotting of blades of grass by unmarried women in

the hope of finding a suitable partner. Family members take the opportunity of this large gathering to

do a little matchmaking on this day. The knotting of the grass represents

the wish for good fortune in life and love, and the bond between a man

and a woman. As the blade grows the knot is eventually opened,

symbolizing the unravelling of obstacles and wishes coming true.

A ritual performed at the end of the picnic day is to throw away

the greenery, sabzeh, from the Haft Seen table. The sabzeh is supposed

to have collected all the sickness, pain and ill fate hiding on the path of

the family throughout the coming year. Touching someone else's sabzeh

on this thirteenth day or bringing it home, therefore, is considered to be

a bad omen and may invite other peoples' pain and hardship to oneself. By throwing the sabzeh in

running water, lethargy and weariness are believed to be washed away, and one can face the new year

with energy and enthusiasm. **

Source: Sizdah Bedar. Wednesday March 31, 2010. Historical Iranian Sites and People. Retrieved from http://historicaliran.blogspot.com/2010/03/sizdah-bedar.html. Photos from same site.

Celebrating NoRooz


NoRooz by Another Name Nawriz

Jamshid Peshdadian is known as the founder of the festival of spring, NoRooz (New Day) on

the first of Farvardin (21 March). His reign ushered in the first golden age in Iran's history as he

introduced the sciences, arts and crafts, medicine, shipbuilding, mining, and the use of perfumes.

According to legend, he ruled for three hundred years. During this time, "men knew nothing of sorrow

or evil ... and the land was filled with music," but he became increasingly arrogant about his

achievements and he believed that the glory in his kingdom was his doing. “…he who had known God

became/Ungrateful, proud, forgetful of God's name.” His kingdom was attacked by Zohak and was

soon filled with dissension and rebellion. Jamshid had to go into hiding for a hundred years. Zohak

finally caught up with him in China and killed him with a sharpened fish bone.

On an interesting note related to the Jamshid-China

connection, "Nawriz" was celebrated mainly in China's Xinjiang

Uyghur Autonomous Region by the Uyghur, Chinese Tajik and

Kazakh ethnicities. However, in recent years, the authorities have put

tight restrictions on Nawriz celebrations in major Uyghur cities, while

promoted the Chinese New Year as a major holiday in the

traditionally Turkic and Muslim province. However, in 2010, many

Chinese citizens in other provinces of China responded to the UN's

promotion of NoRooz as an international day of cultural heritage, by

promoting Spring Equinox both as a revival of the traditional ethnic

Han Qing miao Festival (Day of Green Sprouts) and the "International

Day of Friendship and Peace". The ethnic Salars of Qinghai also

celebrated on March 21, 2010 their first "NoRooz" in modern times,

as a revived Turkmen holiday. Thus, 2010 can be seen as the first year of revival of NoRooz or

Qingmiao Festival in the Chinese provinces outside of Xinjiang.In the photo on the right, Salar people

in China celebrating Nowriz (courtesy wikipedia).

Newroz

Although the Kurds celebrate NoRooz, it was not however until 2005 that Kurdish population

of Turkey could celebrate their new year openly. "Thousands of people have been detained in Turkey,

as the authorities take action against suspected supporters of the Kurdish rebel movement, the PKK.

The holiday is now official in Turkey after international pressure on the Turkish government to lift

culture bans. Turkish government renamed the holiday Newroz in 1995, and reclaimed it as a Turkish

holiday.

Celebrating NoRooz


The word 'Newroz' is Kurdish for NoRooz. The Kurds celebrate this feast between 18th and

21st March. It is one of the few ‘people's celebrations’ that has survived and predates all the major

religious festivals. The holiday is considered by

Kurds to be the single most important holiday of every

year.

Churshama Kulla is the tradition where people

jump over the fire. In Kurdistan, jumping over the fire

happens on the last Tuesday of the year). With this

festival Kurds gather into the fairgrounds mostly

outside the cities to welcome spring. Women wear

colored dresses and spangled head scarves and young

men wave flags of green, yellow and red, the colors of

the Kurdish people. They hold this festival by lighting

fire and dancing around it.

The main Kurdish greeting that accompanies the festival is Newroz pîrozbe! literally translating

to "Congratulations on the New Year" or equivalent to Happy Newroz! (photo courtesy

kurdishrights.org) Another greeting used is Bijî Newroz! simply meaning Long live Newroz!

Newroz is still largely considered as a potent symbol of Kurdish identity in Turkey. Newroz

celebrations are usually organised by Kurdish cultural associations and pro-Kurdish political parties.

Thus, the Democratic Society Party was a leading force in the organisation of the 2006 Newroz events

throughout Turkey. In recent years the Newroz celebration gathers around 1 million participants in

Diyarbakır, the biggest city of the Kurdish dominated Southeastern Turkey. As the Kurdish Newroz

celebrations in Turkey often are theater for political messages, the events are frequently criticized for

being political rallies rather than cultural celebrations.

In other largely populated Kurdish regions in the Middle East including Iraq and Syria, similar

celebrations are carried out with fire, dancing and music. **

Sources: - Newroz celebration by Kurds. Retrieved from http://it-it.facebook.com/notes/learn-english-all-by-yourself/nowroz-

nawroz-__new-day_/195712690459791?comment_id=2726737 - Nawriz in China. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Ruhnama - Smithsonian Museums of Asian Art. https://www.asia.si.edu/explore/shahnama/jamshid.asp -

https://www.asia.si.edu/explore/shahnama/jamshid.asp

Celebrating NoRooz


NoRooz in Afghanistan

The origins of NoRooz are obscure, but it is generally thought to have been a pastoral festival

marking the change from winter to spring. In Afghanistan, where it is also Farmer's Day, farmers

decorate their cows and come into the city for an annual agricultural fair with prizes.

Legends have grown up around the holiday – an ugly old woman named Ajuzak is thought to

roam around when NoRooz begins. If it rains on NoRooz, she is washing her hair and the spring

plantings will thrive.

On the night of new year, they cook a special dish by the name of samanak, a dessert made of

wheat and sugar which the Iranians call samanu, and the women start to cook it together from evening

until morning. They even sing a special song while cooking it, “samanak dar josh ma kafcha zanim

degaran dar khab ma dafcha zanim” (samanak is boiling, we stir it with a ladle; people are sleeping

while we play the tambourine). Special Afghan dishes on NoRooz are samanak and haft-mewah (seven

fruits), a compote of walnuts, almonds, pistachio nuts, red and green raisins, dried apricots, and a fruit

called sanjet.

HOW NOROOZ GOT TO CHINA

Mani was born 216 AD in Mesopotamia (Iraq) within the Sassanid Empire province of Asuristan

at that time. He put together a series of seven writings based on elements from Zoroastrianism

and Christianity, Babylonian folklore, and Buddhist ethics. Of the seven writings, six were

written in Syriac Aramaic. The seventh, the Shabuhragan, was written in Middle Persian and

presented by him to the contemporary King of Sassanid Persia, Shapur I, in the Persian capital

of Ctesiphon. When Mani’s missionaries started preaching his collated ideology, Shapur I

tolerated the spread of Manicheanism and refrained from persecuting its followers within his

empire's boundaries. Manicheaism spread with extraordinary rapidity and maintained a

sporadic existence in the West (Africa, Spain, France, North Italy, the Balkans) for a thousand

years, but it flourished mainly in the land of its birth, (Mesopotamia, Babylonia, Turkestan) and

even further East in Northern India, Western China, and Tibet, where, c. A.D. 1000, the bulk of

the population professed its tenets and where it died out at an uncertain date. As for Mani

himself, after failing to win the favour of the next generation of Persian royalty, and incurring

the disapproval of the Zoroastrian clergy, he is reported to have died in prison awaiting

execution by the Persian Emperor Bahram I. The date of his death is estimated at AD 276–277.

From various sources on the internet.

Celebrating NoRooz


A special event, jandah bala kardan (raising of the standard) is held on NoRooz at the tomb of

Hazrat Ali in Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan. The jandah or standard, is raised in the

courtyard of the shrine, and stays there for 40 days. Thousands visit the shrine to touch the staff to gain

merit, and the sick and crippled touch it hoping for cures. The standard comes down at a time when a

distinct kind of red tulip blooms and then soon fades; at this time, people visit friends and wish each

other long lives and many children.

The naming of the Gul e Sorkh (red flower) is taken from the name of the red flowers that are

growing with the arrival of spring across the plains and hills, and even the walls and rooves of mud

houses become colorful with these flowers. Mehle Gul e Sorkh (festival of red flowers) is very famous

in the whole region. The Gul e Sorkh Festival is held in the first day of New Year. Visitors from

Central Asian countries, Pakistan, India and Iran used to participate in the ceremony, but during the

civil war people could not celebrate it as they did in the past. The Taliban had banned the celebration

of the Gul e Sorkh festival, but people are again celebrating it. Small groups of people dance in the

parks and streets. They also have traditional dances such as attan meli, qarsak and qataghani.

Buzkashi, the national game of Afghanistan, is usually

played on NoRooz, especially in Mazar-i-Sharif. Buzkashi

means "goat-grabbing," and the object of the game is for a

team of horse riders to grab the carcass of a goat placed in a

pit, carry it around a goal post, and put it back in the pit. The

game is supposed to have developed on the plains of

Mongolia and Central Asia, sometimes using a prisoner-of-

war instead of a goat; now a dead calf is usually used. It's a

ferocious game occasionally producing fatalities; there are

several hundred chapandaz (horsemen) on each team, and

they gallop at breakneck speed, lashing at horses and each

other with special buzkashi whips. Other games are pahlawani (wrestling) and gudi paran bazi (kite

flying).

Source

- The city between tradition and modernization (November 12, 2013) http://ipso-cc-afghanistan.org/the-city-between-tradition-and-modernization/?lang=en

- Photos from One Afghan Group https://engbridging.wordpress.com/category/uncategorized/

The text for Celebrating NoRooz was compiled by Farishta Murzban Dinshaw for editions of e-Ushao, 2009-2016.

Compiled in 2016

Celebrating NoRooz


Read the story Celebrating Navroze and illustrate a cover for it.

Celebrating NoRooz


Celebrating NoRooz

By Farishta Murzban Dinshaw

Friday School for Little Zarathushtis, Karachi (1999)

Spenta saw her mother light the diva1 and then both of them stepped back to

admire the thanksgiving NoRooz Table. Spenta smiled when she saw how beautiful the

Table looked, just as spring is supposed to be - fresh, green and bountiful. Besides the

diva, the picture of the Prophet Asho Zarathushtra Spitama and the Khordeh Avesta2,

there were baskets of glossy fruit and vases of fragrant flowers. Bowls of germinating

grains - wheat, lobia and daal moong - which she and her brother Nerius had started

growing a week earlier, grew tall and green in their bed of cotton wool.

There were bowls with many kinds of lentils and rice, and different kinds of dried

fruits to show Nature’s bounty. A tray filled with fluffy naan, bunches of soya methi

and round, brown bair represented the spring diet of the farmers in ancient Iran. The

gold fish in the glass bowl, and the big box of hard-boiled eggs with painted shells

signified the new life that spring brought with it. And for prosperity there were shiny

silver and gold coins which her mother took out only for the NoRooz Table, and

afterwards put away wrapped in red silk till the next year.

The part of the Table, Spenta liked best was the Haft Seen. It was a tradition

borrowed from the time Parsis lived in Iran. Seven of Nature’s gifts whose names in

Persian began with the sound “suh” were displayed:

1. Samanu – a sweet pudding made from wheat germ, symbolizes wealth.

2. Seer – (garlic) represents health.

3. Seeb – (apple) represents beauty

4. Somaq – special berries that represent the color of the sunrise,

5. Serkeh – (vinegar) represents maturity and patience

6. Sonbol - the hyacinth with its strong fragrance represents coming of spring

7. Sekkeh – (coins) represent prosperity and wealth

1 A diya. It is lit in Zarathushtrian homes on special days to represent the light (khvareh) of God.

2 The Khordeh Avesta is the book of daily prayers. It is different from the GATHAS, which are the sermons of the Prophet.

Celebrating NoRooz


Spenta’s mother picked up a gold-rimmed mirror and showed Spenta her

reflection in it, saying, “Like the mirror, may you shine in the New Year too.”

And after sprinkling Spenta with rose water, she said, “And may all you think,

speak and be as soft and sweet-smelling as roses.”

Spenta hugged her mother and asked, “May I show the mirror to the visitors when

they come to see our Table in the evening?”

“Yes, but remember to give Nerius a turn too. Where is he? We don’t want to be

late for the Dar-e- Meher3. ”

Spenta went to call her brother who was still getting dressed in his new clothes.

“Nerius, hurry up for once. Today is NoRooz.”

Nerius said, “I don’t know why you make such a lot of fuss about NoRooz. It’s

just like any other day.”

“Of course it’s not like every other day. It’s a very special “new day”4. It’s the

first day of spring5. Winter is finally over.”

“Big deal. We don’t have any winter in Karachi.”

“Yes, but ten thousand years ago the winters in Iran were so severe, people

rejoiced when they saw the first signs of spring. King Jamshed6 made the first day of

spring7 a royal holiday.”

Before Nerius could reply, they heard their mother calling them for breakfast.

Besides the usual egg, toast and milk, there was sev8 , sutterfeni 9and sweet dahi

decorated with rose petals.

After breakfast the whole family went to the Dar-e-Meher where they prayed for

peace and prosperity of the family, and the country.

3 Dar -e Meher or the House of Light is a place of worship for Zarathushtrians, similar to a masjid or a church.

4 “Nav” means “new” and “roze” means “day”

5 Navroze marks the beginning of spring and falls on the day of the VERNAL EQUINOX, i.e. on March 21, when night

and day are of equal length.

6 Jamshed (or Yim Shaita) was the fourth king of the Peshodadian dynasty of Iran. His reign was during the ice-age ten

thousand years ago, and when the snow finally thawed his whole kingdom rejoiced at the coming of spring. Zarathushtrians

call the festival Jamshedi Navroze in his honour.

7 According to the Gregorian calendar which we follow today, March 21 is Jamshedi Navroze day. According to the

Zarathushtrian Fasli calendar day Hormazd of month Farvardin is the first day of spring. This calendar is still the official

calendar of Iran.

8 Vermicelli (sevayan) fried with almonds, pistas and raisins.

9 Fine, dry noodles made of sweetened rice flour.

Celebrating NoRooz


On the way home, Spenta and Nerius stopped to visit their school friends Ali and

Rozina Lallani,10 and Firuzeh and Asfandiar Kohzadeh to wish them as it was their

NoRooz as well.

In the evening, it was Spenta’s and Nerius’s turn to receive visitors, as cousins

and friends dropped in to greet them on NoRooz.

Spenta showed all the visitors the mirror, sprinkled them with rose-water and

gave them good wishes for the new year.

Faluda, the traditional NoRooz drink of rose syrup, ice-cream and rice noodles,

was served to all the guests. Spenta spilled some of it on her new dress, but she did not

mind: it was NoRooz day and she remembered her Grandmummy saying that if you did

not let little things bother you on NoRooz and remained sunny-tempered throughout the

day, the whole year would flash by with happiness.

That night as Spenta got ready for bed she thought to herself, I wish today wasn’t

over but at least there are twelve more days to go before we pack the NoRooz Table11.

Nerius poked his head through the door and said, “Ready for bed, I see. Good

night. Oh, and one more thing. I forgot to tell you something this morning.”

“What was that?”

“NoRooz khojasteh baad.” 12

Spenta smiled. “NoRooz khojasteh baad to you too.” **

10 Navroze is celebrated by the people who have some link with Central Asia - including what is now Iran, Afghanistan,

Tajikistan. Besides countries, communities with links to these areas such as the Ismailis, and the Irani Shias also to

celebrate Navroze.

11The Navroze Table is kept for thirteen days, and throughout the period, visitors drop in to wish Navroze Mubarak.

12 “Happiness to you on Navroze” is the old Persian greeting. “Navroze Mubarak” is also used.

celebrating norooz - fezana

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