Nowrouz, The Feast of Celebrating Human Knowledge, Iranian oral tradition takes Norouz as far back as 25,000 years ago, before the last ice age.

The first day on the Iranian calendar falls on the spring equinox, the first day of spring. At the time of the equinox, the sun is observed to be directly over the equator, and the north and south poles of the Earth lie along the solar terminator; sunlight is evenly divided between the north and south hemispheres.

Today the Earth enters the spring equinox and Iranians all over the world, irrespective of their religious creed or ethnicity, celebrate Norouz which last 13 days according to the millennia-old Iranian tradition. For Iranian peoples Norouz which literally means the dawn of a new day is considered to be the most important celebration of the year; it is the greatest symbol of Iranian cultural and national identity, which has outlived all adversities and adversaries.

Nowrūz (Persian: نوروز) is the traditional Iranian new year, holiday celebrated in Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Albania, Bahrain, Armenia, Georgia, the countries of Central Asia such as Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan, as well as among various other Iranian and Turkic peoples in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Pakistan, India, Northwestern China, the Caucasus, the Crimea, and the Balkans.

Nowruz marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the Iranian year as well as the beginning of the Bahá’í year. It is celebrated on the day of the astronomical vernal equinox (start of spring in northern hemisphere), which usually occurs on the March 21 or the previous/following day depending on where it is observed.As well as being a Zoroastrian holiday, it is also a holy day for adherents of Sufism as well as Bahá’í Faith. In Iran it is also referred to as an Eid festival, although it is not an Islamic feast. Alawites also celebrate Nowruz.

The term Norooz first appeared in Persian records in the second century AD, but it was also an important day during the time of the Achaemenids (c. 648-330 BC), where kings from different nations under the Persian empire used to bring gifts to the emperor (Shahanshah) of Persia on Nowruz.

The Haft Sīn items are:

• sabzeh – wheat, barley or lentil sprouts growing in a dish – symbolizing rebirth
• samanu – a sweet pudding made from wheat germ – symbolizing affluence
• senjed – the dried fruit of the oleaster tree – symbolizing love
• sīr – garlic – symbolizing medicine sīb – apples – symbolizing beauty and health
• somaq – sumac berries – symbolizing (the color of) sunrise
• serkeh – vinegar – symbolizing age and patience

• Other items on the table may include:
  Sonbol – Hyacinth (plant)
• Sekkeh – Coins – representative of wealth

traditional Iranian pastries such as baghlava, toot, naan-nokhodchi

• Aajeel – dried nuts, berries and raisins lit candles (enlightenment and happiness)
• a mirror (symbolizing cleanness and honesty)
• decorated eggs, sometimes one for each member of the family (fertility)
• a bowl of water with goldfish (life within life, and the sign of Pisces which the sun is leaving)
• the national colours, for a patriotic touch
• a holy book (e.g., the Avesta, Qur’an, Bible, Torah, or Kitáb-i-Aqdas) and/or a poetry book (almost always either the Shahnama or the Divan of Hafez)

The Persian Nature Day that they called 13Bedar,for more information about 13Bedar click here.

Balboa Park.Van Nuys,CA 04/05/2009

The one of best Iranian singers Andy:

Hassan Shamaizadeh:

The apple - symbolizing beauty and health

Sale 1388 mobarak! I hope that this year will be filled with happiness and success for all of you! So it’s been a while, how have you guys been? I’ve been busy with college/work/life in general.

I’ll try to update the site more often now that the weather is better and I’ve got a new camera (Nikon D60) since I thought the old one didn’t seem very professional (Olympus FE300). Don’t know if the photos will be better since the photographer is still the same .

Photographed by Hamed Saber

Haft Sîn (Persian: هفت سین) or the seven ‘S’s is a major tradition of Norouz, the traditional Iranian new year. The haft sin table includes seven items specificly starting with the letter S or Sîn (س in the Persian alphabet). The items symbolically correspond to seven creations and holy immortals protecting them. Originally called Haft Chin (هفت چین), the Haft Sin has evolved over time, but has kept its symbolism. Traditionally, families attempt to set as beautiful a Haft Sîn table as they can, as it is not only of traditional and spiritual value, but also noticed by visitors during Norouzi visitations and is a reflection of their good taste.

The Haft Sin items are:

1. sabzeh – wheat, barley or lentil sprouts growing in a dish – symbolizing rebirth
2. samanu – a sweet pudding made from wheat germ – symbolizing affluence
3. senjed – the dried fruit of the oleaster tree – symbolizing love
4. sîr – garlic – symbolizing medicine
5. sîb – apples – symbolizing beauty and health
6. somaq – sumac berries – symbolizing (the color of) sunrise
7. serkeh – vinegar – symbolizing age and patience

While traditionally incorrect, sometimes a missing Sin is exchanged with another item starting with an S. For example:

. sonbol – the fragrant hyacinth flower (the coming of spring)
. sekkeh – coins (prosperity and wealth)

Other items on the table may include:

traditional Iranian pastries such as baghlava, toot, naan-nokhodchi
dried nuts, berries and raisins (Aajeel)
lit candles (enlightenment and happiness)
a mirror

decorated eggs, sometimes one for each member of the family (fertility)
a bowl with goldfish (life, and the sign of Pisces which the sun is leaving)
a bowl of water with an orange in it (the earth floating in space)
rose water for its magical cleansing powers

the national colours, for a patriotic touch
the Quran
the Shahnama or the Divan of Hafez

Source: Wikipedia:Haft sin table"
——————

But we didn’t mistakenly exchange Serkeh with Sekkeh, we did it because I don’t like the smell of Serkeh (vinegar)

By the way, I’ve put notes on all 7 Ss and other main parts of Haft Sin table.

– License

President Barack Obama has sent a video message to Iran and its people on Naw Ruz, the Persian New Year that falls on the spring equinox. Interestingly enough, this is at the same time a Zoroastrian religious tradition that became part of the Iranian (non-religious) culture, as well as a Baha’i religious tradition.

What a great video, what great timing, and what a lovely effort to try to speak Persian at the very end of the video (the accent wasn’t too bad either). What an amazing thing to for an American president to do, to reach out to a country who doesn’t like the United States (to put it mildly). ‘Be the change’ seems to be more than a motto for this administration, and this administration seems intent on proving it time and time again.

Perhaps the best consequence of this video won’t necessarily be the response of the Iranian government, but rather that of both the Iranian and the American people: to be piqued with curiosity enough that they will open up to what the other country really is like, rather than to believe in all the misconceptions that have been flying around both countries. And perhaps this will lead both governments to open up even more to each other. How great would that be!

It’s that time of year again!

The U.S. Congress is considering a first-of-its kind resolution that congratulates Iranians and Iranian-Americans on the Norouz holiday.

Representative Mike Honda (Democrat-California), who represents voters in a northern California district, authored the resolution, which reads: “[To recognize] the cultural and historical significance of Norouz, expressing appreciation to Iranian Americans for their contributions to society, and wishing Iranian Americans and the people of Iran a prosperous new year.”

Good News Here from the National Iranian American Council (An Iranian American Voice in Washington, D.C.)!

Washington DC – Transcripts of National Iranian American Council and the New America Foundation’s conference on US-Iran relations on February 14, 2007 on Capitol Hill are now available online. The conference, titled “US-Iran relations: collision, stand-off, or convergence?” featured numerous high-power speakers, including Professor Francis Fukuyama, Congresswoman Jane Harman, Colonel Larry Wilkerson, Colin Powell’s Chief of Staff, Flynt Leverett of the New America Foundation, Bruno Pellaud, former deputy chief of safe guards at the IAEA, Daniel Levy, former advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, and Trita Parsi, President of NIAC. The conference tackled several aspects of the ongoing US-Iran debate, including the imperative of reducing US-Iran tensions in order to aid Iran’s internal pro-democracy forces, the superiority of inspections versus suspension as a non-proliferation tool, and previously undisclosed details about the May 2003 Iranian negotiation offer to the US.

http://www.niacouncil.org/images/PDF_files/niac_feb_conference.pdf

 

The conference, part of NIAC’s US-Iran Policy Program, was sponsored by the Colombe Foundation, Kenbe Foundation, Open Society Institute, Ploughshares Fund, and Pluralism Fund. Through the US-Iran Policy Program, NIAC will hold two such conferences on Capitol Hill per year, in addition to several Congressional Breakfasts and Staff briefings.

A Haft sin table in Tehran.

Nowruz 1388 in Google

Watch: Iranian new year with traditional dances of diffrent peoples of Iran with a short folkloric music

About Nowruz:

Nowrūz Persian نوروز /Kurdish نه‌ورۆز /noʊruz/ ↔ [noʊɾuːz]; with various local pronunciations and spellings, meaning ‘New Day’)/Turkish Nevruz is the traditional new year holiday celebrated by Iranian peoples, having its roots in Ancient Iran. Apart from the Iranian cultural continent (Greater Iran), the celebration has spread in many other parts of the world, including parts of Central Asia, South Asia, Northwestern China, the Crimea, and some ethnic groups in Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo and the Republic of Macedonia.

Nowruz marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the Iranian year and is a secular holiday. It is celebrated on the day of the astronomical vernal equinox, which usually occurs on March 21 or the previous/following day depending on where it is observed. As well as being a Zoroastrian holiday and having significance amongst the Zoroastrian ancestors of modern Iranians. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the Jewish festival of Purim, is probably adopted from the Persian New Year.

The term Nowruz first appeared in Persian records in the second century AD, but it was also an important day during the time of the Achaemenids (c. 648-330 BC), where kings from different nations under the Persian empire used to bring gifts to the emperor (Shahanshah) of Persia on Nowruz.

source

also see:

Nowruz 1387, Persian New Year

Google’s Logo for Persian New Year 1387

Norouz; Declaration of Iranians’ Livelihood, Eternity By: Dr Ali Shariati

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]]> http://persianesque.com/2009/03/19/message-to-the-iranian-people-from-president-barack-obama/ Fri, 20 Mar 2009 10:22:04 +0000 Jujunaz http://persianesque.com/2009/03/19/message-to-the-iranian-people-from-president-barack-obama/ http://persianesque.com/2009/03/19/happy-persian-new-year-norooz-1388/ Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:12:24 +0000 Jujunaz http://persianesque.com/2009/03/19/happy-persian-new-year-norooz-1388/ http://dumpad.wordpress.com/2009/03/18/i-dont-know-what-you-heard-about-me/ Wed, 18 Mar 2009 11:07:59 +0000 dumpad http://dumpad.wordpress.com/2009/03/18/i-dont-know-what-you-heard-about-me/

Another night and another party. Och alla vet att jag antingen gör inte något men om jag gör det ska det vara ALL THE WAY. Och det ska vara roligt o festa med mig. Chashabesori, eldfest som gick upp i rök men enda rök som kom upp sent på kvällen var från vårt bord. För vi var så heta och steka, ha ha ! Jag var dessutom nykter. Efter två månaders supande så har jag fått tillbaka mitt körkort och nu är det tillbaka till vita dagar. Det tär på kroppen som fan att vara full praktisk taget varje tag i två månader. Syns till och med på bilder att jag är sliten och dessutom kanske lagt på ngn kilo. Kan även bero på att jag varit sjuk ett längre tag och gått på starka mediciner, samt inte kunnat träna. Men jag skyller på spriten. Så blir det ännu enklare att avstå. Vi var stort gäng som blev ännu större på plats. Och det är märkligt hur vissa som inte “känner” mig kommer fram och blir mina bästa vänner helt plötsligt när jag sitter med några tjejer runt omkring mig. Det finns ett persisk ordspråk som säger : In daghal dostan ke mibini, magasan dore shirini. Vilket enkelt översätts till “De här falska typer som samlats runt dig är bara flugor som samlas runt en godisbit”.

Morvas beskrivning av kvällen

Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA-15) has agreed to introduce a Congressional resolution recognizing Norooz, expressing appreciation for the contributions of Iranian Americans to American society, and wishing both Iranian Americans and the people of Iran a prosperous new year.

This is the first time Congress has ever issued such a message to our community. 

Take a minute to tell your Representative to support the Norooz resolution!

update: Full Text available here

سال جديد رو به همه تبريك مي گم.

آرزوي موفقيت و شادي براي همتون دارم

Norouz:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norouz

As I write this entry from my iPhone I sit on an overland train, traversing the urban jungle that is South London.

I am currently fasting.

Fasting mentioned in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (The Most Holy Book)

The Bahá’í fast is a period of prayer and detachment. This means no food or drink (including water) from sunrise to sunset for 19 days, ending on sunset of the 20th March, the beginning of Naw-Rúz (Bahá’í new year) and Spring.

I have fasted every year since 1996, when I was 15. I’m now 28.

This fast, however,I have observed new things about its effect on me.

One is that I feel my senses to be heightened, and I don’t just mean my 5 senses, but even my 6th sense, my inner eye, the power of ’spiritual perception.’

Fasting is the cause of awakening man. The heart becomes tender and the spirituality of man increases. This is produced by the fact that man’s thoughts will be confined to the commemoration of God, and through this awakening and stimulation surely ideal advancements follow…

(`Abdu’l-Bahá, Star of the West, vol. 3, p. 305. )

Why is this the case? I believe fasting systematizes detachment and a prayerful attitude, which I think go hand in hand. By fasting, you are detaching yourself of 2 out of 3 things you cannot live without; food and water. Air, the 3rd, is not something we could detach ourselves from on this plane of existence. Nonetheless, I am sure if a lustful appetite for air was possible, that too would be on the list of no nos.

If we can detach ourselves from our desire for food and drink, something which is hard-wired into our D.N.A.,

then we can theoretically detach ourselves much easier from things not hard-wired into our D.N.A. like a desire for money, material objects, people, drugs etc.

I call this post ‘Slim Fast’ because like the slimming product, by sticking to its regime for a short part of your year, you will lose weight. In this case however, I am referring to the weight of attachment, what Baha’u'llah calls the ‘fetters of this world.’

O MY SERVANT!
Free thyself from the fetters of this world, and loose thy soul from the prison of self. Seize thy chance, for it will come to thee no more.

(Baha’u’llah, The Persian Hidden Words)

Dear PK readers,

I have some very exciting news to share with everyone.  Tonight I was invited to a very fun evening with a few lovely Persian Ladies who are members of The Iranian American Society in Palos Verdes.  For the past few nights these ladies have been hard at work gearing up for their “Annual Norooz Bazaar” which will take place on March 14th and 15th in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA.

For the past few night these ladies have been making jar after jar of Persian Style vegetable and eggplant pickles. These homemade delicacies will be available for sale at the Bazaar and the proceeds will go to charity.

I was very honored to have been invited to participate and help out.  I enjoyed myself very much chatting away with the ladies and sharing some hearty laughs.  I  helped out with beautifying the jars as seen in these pictures.

So if you live in the area please be sure to stop by and do a little shopping.  There will be gift baskets, beautiful spring bouquets, and seasonal fresh flowers.  Additionally, there will be entertainment, door prizes, raffle tickets, and a silent auction.

When: March 14th  & 15th 2009
11am to 5pm

Where: Ridgecrest Intermediate School
28915 Northbay Road
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275

For more information please call: 310.529.7272

Nowruz, la gran fiesta del Antiguo Irán

Nowruz o Norouz, escrito نوروز en persa, es el año nuevo tradicional en Irán.

Noruz es el festival del (primer día de la) Primavera y el prinicpio del Año iraní.

Noruz se ha celebrado durante al menos 3000 años y está fuertemente arraigado en los rituales y tradiciones del zoroastrismo.Noruz es la fiesta más grande que se celebra en Irán, cuyas raíces se extienden incluso al culto en Mesopotamia de Tamuz, dios de la fertilidad que moría y resucitaba.

Noruz, la fiesta iraní, ha sido la celebración primaveral más grandiosa del mundo. La fiesta, que comienza  el primer día de Farvardin (primer mes de la primavera, 20 marzo- 20 abril, según el calendario persa), es un remanente antiquísimo que recuerda a los antepasados de los actuales iraníes.

Según ellos durante cinco noches, el alma de los difuntos regresaba a la tierra para visitar su casa y familiares. Si la casa se encontraba limpia y la familia feliz, el alma se alegraba, pero si no era así, regresaba triste hasta el año siguiente.

Pero hay otras anécdotas que explican el origen del Noruz. Dicen que en este día, Jamshid, un antiguo rey de la mitología irania, descubrió una caña de tallo leñoso, de tejido esponjoso y dulce, del que extrajo azúcar que regaló en grandes cantidades a todo el mundo. Por eso llamaron a este día Nuevo (noruz; no, nuevo – ruz, día en persa)

También se dice que Ahriman –el dios maligno del Zoroastrismo- provocó una gran sequía y hambruna en la Tierra, pero Jamshid luchó con Ahriman, le derrotó y eliminó la sequía y el hambre. La tierra y los árboles reverdecieron nuevamente y la gente llamó a este día Noruz y plantaron cebada, costumbre que ha perdurado hasta nuestros días.Como parte de la celebración del Noruz, en Irán ponen a germinar trigo o cebada; esto recuerda en el caso de los cristianos, el Altar de Dolores, donde se disponen cereales de este tipo. Al parecer este rito tiene su origen precisamente en el Noruz.

Este acto de la germinación se remonta a la religión antigua de los persas, el Zoroastrismo, que fue de las pocas cosas que permanecieron a pesar del Islam y que continúa hasta hoy en día. El Noruz está propuesto por ese país ante la UNESCO para formar parte del Patrimonio Intangible de la Humanidad.

Este festival, sin embargo, no sólo tiene efecto en Irán sino en todos los lugares donde tuvo importancia el imperio persa, es decir, en los actuales países –particularmente de Asia central– de Afganistán, India, Azerbaiyán, Albania, Turkmenistán, Tajiskistán, Uzbekistán, Kirjistán, y en especial entre los kurdos,Otra de las costumbres es la realización de fogatas en las calles y brincan sobre ellas.

Al final de estos, el cielo y la tierra se colapsaban y se volvía un caos.Por eso, la festividad se prolonga por doce días y el 13 representa el tiempo del caos, cuando las familias dejan el orden a un lado y evitan la mala suerte asociada con el número 13, debido a eso salen a la calle y realizan días de campo o fiestas.

همه‌ی ما برای “نوروز” بسیار زحمت کشیده‌ایم. یادتان که نرفته؟ چندین بار سعی کرده‌ایم که لوگوی گوگل را به لوگوی نوروزی تغییر دهیم که سرانجام هم توانستیم. پس همه‌ی ما در زنده نگه داشتن این آیین بومی، تلاش کرده ایم. این‌بار نوبت آن رسیده تا باز هم از نوروز که آیین دیرینه‌ی ماست، دفاع کنیم. “کانون فرهنگی ایرانیان” که در San Diego در کالیفرنیای آمریکا مستقر است ، دست به اقدام جالبی زده است. این کانون در سایت Petition Online یک Petition جدید نوشته و ثبت کرده است که طی آن از ” دفتر تحقیقات تقویم سازمان ملل ” درخواست شده است تا  نوروز را به عنوان یک آیین رسمی در تقویم سازمان ملل ثبت کند. با ثبت شدن نوروز در تقویم سازمان ملل متحد (United Nations) ، نوروز ما به تقویم های سراسر دنیا راه می‌یابد و با این‌کار همه‌ی مردم دنیا نوروز را خواهند شناخت. در این Petition آمده است که بیش از 300 میلیون نفر در سراسر جهان روز اول بهار را به عنوان روز نخست سال جشن می گیرند و این موضوع ، به خودی خود نوعی اعتبار فرهنگی برای نوروز به شمار می‌آید. به هر حال اگر مایل هستید می‌توانید زیر این Petiton یک امضا بزنید!

نوروز در ویکی پدیا (فارسی – انگلیسی)

مشاهده Petition (درخواست از سازمان ملل متحد برای ثبت نوروز در تقویم رسمی جهان)

As of today we are exactly 56 days away from the Persian New Year known as Norouz.  The front plant that you see in the picture above is a purple hyacinth that I bought last year from our Haft Seen.  I decided to keep it and cut down the leaves once the flower was gone to see if the bulb would re-sprout this year.

With this said, I have to confess to you that I have a brown thumb, yes, I am really good at killing plants even though I really love plants and flowers. So after Norouz I placed the pot outside and sure enough, out of sight out of mind.  Then about a month go I noticed that it started sprouting.  I wonder if the flowers are going to be as big as last year. This  is what it looked like last year:

I think the leaves look much fuller and better this year…I am so excited about this, I can’t even begin to tell you. I can’t wait to see the flowers!