Photos by Ehsan Kamaly, Mehr News Agency

These photos show the people in the villages of North Khorassan in northeastersn Iran with their Haftsin spreads welcoming the arrival of Nowruz.

The arrival of spring also coincides with the beginning of the Persian New Year Nowruz. This is a festive occasion for Iranians and many other countries in the region. A major part of the New Year rituals is setting a special table called Haftsin with seven specific items present. In the ancient times each of the items corresponded to one of the seven creations and the seven holly immortals protecting them.

Haftsin or the seven 'S's is a traditional table setting of Nowruz, the traditional Iranian spring celebration. Today the Haftsin table includes seven specific items, all starting with the letter "seen" in the Persian alphabet.

The Haftsin items are:

• Sabzeh - wheat, barley, mung bean or lentil sprouts growing in a dish - symbolising rebirth
• Samanu - sweet pudding made from wheat germ - symbolising affluence
• Senjed - dried oleaster fruit - symbolising love
• Sir - garlic - symbolising medicine
• Sib - apples - symbolising beauty and health
• Somāq - sumac fruit - symbolising (the color of) sunrise
• Serkeh - vinegar - symbolising old-age and patience

Related Articles:

NOWRUZ and CHAHARSHANBEH SURI - Nowruz, "New Day", is the holiest and most joyful festival of the Zoroastrian year and the most important national festival for all Iranians. Its celebration is recorded from the Achaemenian period around 500 BCE. Nowruz first appears in Pahlavi texts from the Sasanian period, as nog roz. It is a celebration of spring equinox, when the sun begins to regain strength and there is a renewal of growth in nature. -Massoume Price 03/18/13

• Persian New Year, Nowruz 2013 - 1392 Times
• Norouz: The Ever-lasting Persian Celebration of New Year
• The Feast of Norouz
• In Search of the Haft-Sin
• Norouz, the (Iranians) New Year and the Haft-Sin Symbolism
• Photos Cooking Samanoo for Norouz
• US House of Representatives Passes Historic Norooz Resolution
• Photos- Cleaning the House to Greet Norouz

... Payvand News - 03/20/13 ... --