Norooz,
commemorating the New Year, has been celebrated in
Iran,
formerly
Persia,
throughout nearly three millennia of its recorded history. Norooz begins at the
vernal equinox,
the first day of spring season, a day of rejuvenation and reconciliation, and,
reinvigorations and rebirth. Norooz's arrival is symbolized in nature by the
sprouting of greens and grains, flowers and trees. The Norooz holidays of today
span from
Charshanbeh Suri
(jumping over the bonfire to absorb its reddish healthy strength, while getting
rid of one's yellow unhealthy state of being), on the evening preceding the last
Wednesday of the old year, climaxing at Norooz, and concluding with
Sizdeh Bedar,
the thirteenth day of the New Year. Iranians spend the last day of the holidays
at a picnic in the orchards, on the prairies, by the seaside, or in the
foothills where they eat and drink, dance and sing, and play and joke. On that
day, the single women knot grass together in the hope of marriage before the
next Norooz! Integral to Norooz are the visits exchanged and paying tribute to
the elders, as well as receiving monetary and other gifts from them.
Norooz has its
own culinary dishes and pastries, sweets and desserts that are quite distinct
from the rest of the year. Enjoying street performances is commonplace
throughout Iran. The Persian Prefix "no-", as in NoRooz,
is the equivalent of "new" and "now" in English since both languages are rooted
in Indo-European origins.
Iran
has, by and large, remained quite diverse since antiquity. Norooz, which
celebrates the divine creation of
Zoroastrian
Lord of Wisdom-Ahura
Mazda
who created the Universe, the Guardian Angels (Forouhars) and the holy fire-is
the most cherished of all Iranian festivals. The ancient practice of observing
the commencement of the spring season was not necessarily reserved to Iranians
(Persians); many neighboring nations have and continue observing it. The
indigenous tribes roaming the Persian Plateau during 6,000 years before the
Persians arrived, along with the
Babylonians
of
Mesopotamia,
who had paid special attention to the role of the lengthening days warmed by Sun
for their survival (Sol
Invictus).
Today
several hundred million people in the south, south central and southwest Asia
observe Norooz, or a close variation of it. In fact, Zoroastrianism and, to a
lesser extent, other Persian faiths such as
Mithraism,
Mazdakism
and
Manichaeism
that were in part inspired by Buddhism, later influenced the shaping the three
Semitic
monotheistic
religions. The early Christians celebrated the birth of Jesus in early spring,
and epiphany commemorated the arrival of the three Wise Men, the
Magi,
who were said to be
Zoroastrian
priests. The New Year in the west, that began in early March and was observed in
Europe and North America until the late 18th Century, was called the
Common New Year.
Today's Christmas is due to
Pope Emperor Constantine's
moving the birth of Jesus to mask the birth of Indo-Iranian deity
Mithra
to the
winter solstice!
Furthermore, the concurrent celebration of
Purim
, Passover
and
Easter
by the Jews and Christians in tandem with Norooz cannot be construed as
coincidental, but rather a common heritage.
Norooz
was celebrated in an early Persian mythological dynasty,
the Kianis
heralded by Jamshid (Shah Jam). The Kiani dynasty is cited with national
pride and nostalgic reverence in
Shahnameh,
the 60,000 poetic verses of the Epic Book of [Persian] Kings, written by
Ferdowsi
(the
Paradisi, the paradise)
in the 11th century C.E. The oldest archaeological record of the
Norooz celebration comes from the
Achaemenid
period of over 2,500 years ago, where pictorial illustrations and inscriptions
on the grand inner Halls of Persepolis, the
Apadana,
depict King
Darius
receiving the ambassadors and emissaries presenting Norooz gifts from his vast
empire. The Achaemenid Kings actually gave immunity to a commoner chosen to rule
in the Palace for a day at Norooz for the king's self-reflection. This practice
later led to wise and dancing artisans in the street who are
Haji Pirooz
(the victorious pilgrim!), as well the royal tolerance of
court jesters
in both
Iranian and European
regal courts.
A
major part
of the New Year ritual is setting up a special table with seven specific items
present,
Haft Sin
(Haft Chin, hinting at the seven picked crops before Islam, and the seven
days of creation). In ancient times each of the items corresponded to one of the
seven, sacred living creations and the seven holy immortals protecting them.
Today some modifications are made, but a few of the original items have kept
their symbolism. All seven items start with the letter "S"; this was not the
requirement in ancient times. Zoroastrians today do not have the seven "S", but
they do have a ritual of growing seven seeds. The ancient Iranians also grew
seven seeds as a reminder that this is the seventh feast of the creation, and
the new growth symbolized the festival's other aspect, namely, a feast of
resurrection and the eternal cycle of life.
Sabzeh,
green shoots of wheat, barley, millet, or lentils are planted on flat plates a
few days before the New Year arrives. Decorated with colorful red, white and
green ribbons, Sabzeh along with hyacinth, tulips and daffodils are
displayed with Haft-sin and then thrown into streams the last day of the Norooz
holidays, on "Sizdeh
bedar",
the 13th day after Norooz (It coincides with April fool's day in the west!) A
few live
gold fish
(presumably denoting the origin of life in water) are placed in a bowl. In the
old days the fish would be taken to the riverbanks or
qanats
after the holidays; however, today most children, mesmerized by them, keep them
as pets, either in the courtyard pond (Howz)
or in an aquarium indoors. Mirrors are placed on the Haft-Sin table, and candles
are lit adjacent to it to aid the reflection of light and the scared fire if
present, and
Photo by Roya Sedighian
Persian-American Girls Sarah and Tara, with
Amoo Norooz at the Parade in New
York
to signify
knowledge and wisdom. Mirrors and candelabra were significant artifacts in
Zoroastrian symbolic art and architecture, and still are integral components of
most Iranian celebrations, especially the wedding ceremony. Mirrors are also
used extensively in Iranian mystical literature as well and represent
introspection and retrospection. Most Iranian burial shrines and mausoleums are
still extensively decorated with highly ordered, complex geometrical mirrors, a
popular decorative style since ancient times. Again, light is regarded as sacred
by the Zoroastrians, and the effective use of mirrors intensifies the reflection
of the light.
In ancient
times, wine was always present at the Haft-Sin. Since the Muslim conquest, wine
has been replaced by vinegar or at times with honey since alcohol is banned in
Islam. The
Egg,
a universal symbol of fertility, corresponding to Mother Earth,
Sepanta Armaiti,
and hints at the concept of
Faravahar,
the highest achievement of human soul. Eggs are hard-boiled and traditionally
colored red, green, magenta, scarlet, or yellow, colors favored by Zoroastrians.
Recently following the Easter egg tradition, more colors are used and the eggs
are elaborately decorated and offered to children as treats. Fresh garlic is
used to ward off any bad omen. This is said to be a modern innovation, as there
is no evidence that garlic was used in this context in antiquity, but perhaps it
may have been one of the seven herbs grown at Norooz.
Samanoo,
a thick, brownish, malted paste, is present on the table today. It makes for a
nutritious meal and could have been part of the feast in ancient times. Coins
(symbolizing wealth and prosperity), fruits, special sweets and baked pastries,
and a holy book for the believers, are present as well.
The
Map of the Achaemenid Persian Empire
(559-330 BCE)
The
Achaemenians created the first superpower empire in the world, spanning from
India
to Central Asia, the Caucuses and Asia Minor, and extending deep into
North Africa.
Although they built four magnificent mega-palaces, a residence for each season,
the
Persepolis
complex (Takhte Jamshid, still standing north of
Shiraz
in central Iran), was the Grand Palace where the Kings celebrated Norooz and
spring. Among the most notable Persian Kings were
Cyrus the Great
(revered in the Torah as the savior, who reconquered
Jerusalem,
invited the Jews to return and rebuild it). Cyrus is also credited as having
decreed the first universal
Declaration of Human Rights.
He was followed by
Darius,
(who dug the first
Suez Canal
and further bolstered the federal system of many nations,
satrapies,
and the pony express.), and
Xerxes,
(whose
inscriptions
in Asia Minor boasting of his heroic bravery, as reluctantly recorded by the
Greek nationalist historian,
Herodotus).
The
first historical
evidence of human settlement in the Iranian plateau dates back to well over
10,000 years ago, as attested by the discoveries of a chess/ backgammon set in
Shahreh Sookhteh a.k.a. the
Burned City
(in the southeastern
Zabol
region), the two baked
fermentation
pots
(from the northwestern Oroomieh region) currently deposited at the University of
Pennsylvania, and
Teppe Sialk
mounds with seventeen layers of settlements. As a result of the latter
discovery, the time of the earliest organized agriculture and domestication of
flora and fauna was moved back by nearly 2,000 years to 8,000 B.C.E. to the
beginning of the human civilization! The diverse indigenous people in southwest
Asia were absorbed into the three major incoming Iranian Aryan tribes of the
Medes,
Parthians
and the
Persians,
who arrived from central Asia, east of the Caspian Sea, over 3,000 years ago. In
fact, the name,
Iran,
derives from the Indo-European roots of
Middle Pahlavi,
Âér,
which means the land of the Aryans; interestingly, the same root is also found
in
Ireland
as a word.
Americans of
Iranian/Persian
heritage, recognized among the most educated and
affluent immigrant
communities with nearly one million celebrate Norooz through
parade
processions,
musical
concerts,
theatrical
and
movie
performances,
street fairs
and bazaars, and college and private parties throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Although the
commemoration of Norooz may have been somewhat modified over time in order to
reflect the changing socio-religious landscape and/or to accommodate the
infusion of new rituals from other cultures, it has, nevertheless, remained
close to every Iranian heart, and as a result will remain for millennia to come.
Norooz further celebrates the inspirational and aspirational commonality of
humanity as a whole, irrespective of race, creed, national origin religion, and
ethnicity. No one has been more eloquent than
Sa'adi,
the 13th century Persian poet, whose major poem from his vast
two-volume treatise "Golestan"
and "Boostan",
is immortalized on the entrance arch of the
United Nations
Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, as follows:
Humans
are all members of one frame,
Since all, at first, from the same essence came;
When by hard fortune one limb is
oppressed,
The other members lose their desired rest;
If thou
feel'st not for others' misery,
A human being is no name for thee!
U.S.-Iran Soccer Teams
Further Select
Readings:
1. Norooz
by Massoumeh
Price
2. Davood
Rahni on Norooz in
National Geographic Magazine
3. THE
PERSIANS: An Annotated Archaeological and Anthropological Anthology; Persian
Heritage Magazine V.9 (2) 2004
4. Persian
Gulf
5. An
Interview with D. Rahni, on
Iran,
past and present and Iranian-American Community,
by Johanna Sterbin,
