Nowruz 2016 || 1395

Persian New Year (Nowruz) is just around the corner - 2 days to be exact! Nowruz is by far my favorite Persian holiday. One of the first things I do to get in the new year spirit is setting up my "Haft Seen" table. Haft Seen translates to "7 S's" which reflects the seven symbolic S items placed on the new year table spread. 

These S items include (Persian || English || Significance):

Somagh || Sumac || Sunrise

Seer || Garlic || Health

Senjed || Oleaster Fruit || Love

Sekkeh || Coins || Prosperity

Sabzeh || Sprout || Renewal

Seeb || Apple || Beauty

Samanoo || Wheat Germ Pudding || Affluence

Sombol || Hyacinth || Spring

Serkeh || Vinegar || Patience

Funny enough there are more than 7 S items placed on the table - oh well! The non-S items that are also placed on the Haft Seen table and what they represent are: Mirror || Reflection, Holy Book and Hafiz Poetry Book || Faith & Heritage, Candles || Enlightenment, Fish || Life, Desserts || Sweetness, and Eggs || Fertility. 

One of my favorite things to do for Nowruz is to make cookie favors to give out to kids when they come over. Find the recipe and instructions on how to make these fun Nowruz Favor Cookies. The favors are always a win with the kiddos!

I also want to take this time to express how grateful I am for the people who helped support me and encouraged me to start this blog. I was always a little weary of putting myself out there and thought people would be quick to judge me based on what I post, but I've had nothing but positive feedback from my loved ones and people I don't even know! So thank you!

Wishing all my Persians a Happy Nowruz!

Nowruz 2015 [1394]

Happy Nowruz! Today marks the official first day of spring. Persians and many other countries celebrate this joyous day as a welcoming of spring and the renewal of nature. The UN has recognized today as International Day of Nowruz. There are many traditions and rituals that take place leading up to Nowruz and following it. The exact time of new year is known as "Tahvil" and its marked by the exact moment when the vernal equinox occurs. Therefore the new year doesn't always occur at the same time every year - as opposed to NYE when the clock strikes midnight. 

The most significant tradition - and my favorite - of Nowruz is the traditional new year table known has "Haft Seen." The Haft Seen translates to the Seven S's. [Check out last year's Nowruz Haft Seen post here.] This table consists of seven items that symbolize various things. These items include: 

Sumaq [Sumac] symbolizing the color of sunrise

Senjed [Wild Olives] symbolizing love

Serkeh [Vinegar] symbolizing old age and patience 

Sib [Apple] symbolizing beauty

Seer [Garlic] symbolizing medicine

Samanu [Wheat sprout pudding] symbolizing affluence 

Sabzeh [Wheat, barley, or lentil sprouts growing in a dish] symbolizing rebirth

In addition to these items it is customary to include other symbolic items depending on the tradition of the family. These items include: Sonbol [Hyacinth] symbolizing fragrance, Sekkeh [Coins] symbolizing wealth, a gold fish to mark the the passage from Pisces to Aries, a mirror to reflect the light of wisdom and creation, candles to symbolize holy fire, decorated eggs to represent fertility, and a copy of the Quran or religious text to signify prayers.

In my family I eagerly volunteer as tribute to set-up the Haft Seen every year. This year I declared the Haft Seen colors as Turquoise & Gold. There is no particular reason to choosing these colors other than Persians love tturquoise and gold. Majority of these items are from my mom's collection. In addition to the Haft Seen I set up a traditional "Sonaty" area with all my mom's trinkets from the motherland she has collected over the years. This makes for a great photo backdrop and all the hundreds of pictures we will be taking.

I wish everyone a year of good health, happiness, and lots of love!

"Nowruz reminds us of the values and aspirations we all share for peace through tolerance, respect and mutual understanding." -UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

Nowruz Party Favor Cookies

Golreezan Iran Cookie Cutter & Golreezan "Eideh Shoma Mobarak" Stickers

Nowruz is a time of lots of festivities. During the days and weeks following Nowruz it is customary for people to visit each other's homes and welcome the new year. As party favors for guest when they come to visit our home during the Nowruz (New Year) celebrations I baked these delicious sugar cookies and added some festive Nowruz flair courtesy of these Golreezan Nowruz products. 
I always use the delicious Corilynn Sugar Cookie Recipe  - seriously best recipe ever! This recipe yielded 32 cookies using the Golreezan Iran Cookie Cutter. Once the cookies were baked and cooled down I placed a cookie in the loot bag - which I got from the dollar store. I decorated the bag with these adorable Golreezan Nowruz Stickers and topped it off with some ribbon. 
Now I just need to keep these favors hidden from my family in order for our guests to enjoy them!
Happy almost Nowruz! 

Festival of Fire [Chahar-Shanbeh Suri]

 Jacket: NIMANY | Sweater: The Limited (old) | Jeans: The Limited | Scarf: Vela | Shoes: Converse | Bag: Rebecca Minkoff | Watch: Michael Kors | Sunnies: Cole Haan | Flash Tattoos: Zahra | Lips: YSL #17

On the eve of the last Wednesday of the year it is Persian custom to celebrate by lighting bonfires and jumping over fire. This tradition is known as "Chahar-shanbe Suri" which translates to Red Wednesday. The tradition includes jumping over fire and chanting: 

"Sorkhi-ye Toh Az Man, Zardi-ye Man Az Toh." 

This phrase translates to "Give me your beautiful red color, and take back my sickly pallor!" The significance of the phrase is that you want the fire to take your problems and sickness and in turn give you warmth and energy in the new year. The festival is celebrated on Tuesday night to make sure all the bad spirits are chased away.

Happy fire jumping!

Photos Taken By: Sameeraa SZ

Nowruz Cookies

I was dying for an excuse to use my Iran Cookie Cutter I purchased via Golreezan for a while. To get into the Nowruz spirit I baked Iran shaped sugar cookies!

The Sugar Cookie recipe is the delicious recipe via Corilynn Blog

Sugar Cookie Recipe 
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups flour

1. Cream butter and sugar in large mixing bowl 
2. Blend in eggs and vanilla
3. Add dry ingredients and mix well
4. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour before rolling out
5. Flour surface, roll out to 1/2 inch thick and cut
6. Bake at 375℉ for 6-9 minutes.

To decorate the cookies I used white color royal icing and Duff Cake Graffiti.

Final product!

What yummy treats are you baking for Nowruz?!?!

Nowruz 2014 [1393]

Happy Nowruz! Nowruz is my favorite Persian holiday!!! I embrace all the traditions and love celebrating and spending time with family and friends. Nowruz literally translates to "new day" which marks the beginning of the new year in Iran and many other countries. Nowruz is celebrated on the first day of spring which is March 20. 

With the celebration of the New Year comes many traditions. One of these traditions is the Haft Seen table. Haft Seen translates to The Seven S's. The Haft Seen table includes items that begin with the letter S and symbolize various things. The traditional Haft Seen includes:

Sib [Apple] symbolizing beauty

Sonbol [Hyacinth] symbolizing fragrance

Serkeh [Vinegar] symbolizing old age and patience 

Senjed [Wild Olives] symbolizing love

Seer [Garlic] symbolizing medicine

Samanu [Wheat sprout pudding] symbolizing affluence 

Sekkeh [Coins] symbolizing wealth

Sumaq [Sumac] symbolizing the color of sunrise

Other symbolic items placed on the table are:

Sabzeh [Wheat, barley, or lentil sprouts growing in a dish] symbolizing rebirth

A gold fish to mark the the passage from Pisces to Aries 

A mirror to reflect the light of wisdom and creation

Candles to symbolize holy fire

Decorated eggs to represent fertility

A copy of the Quran or religious text to signify prayers

Nowruz: A Persian New Year Celebration

The Freer, Sackler, and Ripley Center had a Nowruz: A Persian New Year Celebration. The event was filled with lots of activities, displays, and performances. In my opinion the celebration was great for kids. There was a ton of activities geared toward children such as face painting, storytelling, coloring, calligraphy, Iranian music, and traditional dance performances.

It was an interesting event to go to for a gal like me from the Midwest who rarely sees Nowruz celebrations outside my home. Below are some photos from the day:

Sofreh Haft Seen

Haft Seen Details

Haft Seen Details

Haft Seen Details

Selfies with Hani Hulu

Outfit details:

Blazer | T-Shirt | Pants | Shoes | Hijab | Glasses | Watch | Bag