Persian Yalda Celebration // Winter Solstice

Today is officially the first day of winter! In Persian tradition the first day of winter is know and celebrated as Shab-e-Yalda which translates to the night of Yalda. This night signifies the longest night of the year. Yalda is celebrated on the eve of the winter solstice. There are many traditions tied in with Yalda. The main attraction of Yalda is the beautiful table spread that includes  pomegranate, watermelon, fruits and nuts, and tea! Friends and family gather to stay up on the longest night of the year to eat, read poetry from the book of Hafiz, sing and have a good time all night long! 

 

Hope everyone has a lovely Yalda and enjoy all the delicious pomegranate!

Persian New Year (Nowruz)

Happy First Day of Spring!! 

The first day of spring also marks Persian New Year also known as 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 - this year on the East Coast Tahvil was at 6:28am.

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 which consists of seven items that symbolize various things and begin with the farsi letter S. 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.

Wishing all those who celebrate Nowruz a happy first day of spring. Eyedeh shoma mobarak!

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!

Yalda | Winter Solstice

Happy first day of winter!

 Yaldā is a Persian tradition celebrated on the eve the Winter Solstice also known as Shab-e-Yalda which translates to the night of Yalda. This night signifies the longest night of the year. Yalda is celebrated on the eve of the winter solstice which is December 21. There are many traditions tied in with Yalda - including eating pomegranate, watermelon, fruits and nuts, and reading poems of Hafiz and much more! 

I found this site to give the perfect description of Yalda.

I wanted to share a few snaps from my family's Yalda celebrations. As you can see many of the Yalda traditions revolve around food - which I LOVE! I made my special pomegranate cheesecake to mark the occasion! I will share the recipe on the blog this week - it's super easy and oh so delicious!

Hope everyone has a lovely Yalda and enjoy all the delicious pomegranate! 

Recipe | Masghati

During Ramadan there are few recipes that are tradition and made for Iftar in my family. Last year I shared a recipe for Fereni which is my all-time favorite! This year my sister attempted to find a recipe  for our childhood favorite - Masghati - which is a type of pudding filled with rose water and cardamom. After a long search my awesome sissy found a fantastic recipe courtesy of Turmeric & Saffron. The only change my sister made to was omitting the pistachios - she isn't too keen on them - however you can do so to your liking. All the credit for making this lovely treat goes to her. The only part I had was decorating and photos!

It's an easy recipe and very delicious treat for Iftar! Enjoy!

Sizdeh Bedar

Happy Sizdeh (13) Bedar to all my Persians who celebrate!

Sizdeh Bedar takes place on the 13th day of the Persian New Year and marks the last of the celebrations for Nowouz. It is customary to celebrate Sizdeh Bedar by spending the day outdoors picnicking with family and friends. Lettuce and sekanjabin are traditionally served during sizdeh bedar. The lettuce is dipped in the sekanjabin - kind of like veggies & dip. Sekanjabin is a syrup made of vinegar and honey - very refreshing taste and perfect for spring!

A custom of Sizdeh Bedar is to take the Sabzeh from the Haft Seen and throw it in a stream of water. This act symbolizes throwing away the negativity from one's home. Another tradition of Sizdeh Bedar is for single girls to tie a knot with the sabzeh and make a wish to find a husband in the coming year just before throwing it into the stream of water - this is just tradition - there is a lack of factual evidence to prove this theory!

Have a lovely day!

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

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