Nowruz 2008 at CSUN!

The Persian New Year, or “Nowruz,” always begins on the first day of spring (around March 20th) of each year. “Now” means “new” and “rooz” means “day” in Persian, therefore making “Nowruz” to mean “new day.” The Persian calendar begins each year on the first day of spring and ends with the last day of winter. Nowruz has been celebrated for at least 3,000 years. Iranians have been celebrating this period with different kinds of celebrations and festivals.

Chahaar Shanbeh Suri

The old year ends with a fire festival on the last Tuesday evening of the year. This night is called Chahaar Shanbeh Suri and Iranians build fires all around the country and sing and dance around the fires. Through this ceremony, people symbolically burn their past year's weaknesses and bad luck with the hopes of starting a new and fresh life in the coming New Year.

Haft Seen Table

Before the New Year, the entire family gathers around a table with an arrangement of several items, each of which symbolize a wish or a theme. Of all the items in this arrangement, seven of them, starting with the Farsi letter "seen" (analogous to the English letter "S"), must always be included.
The seven items starting with the letter "seen" are

• Samanu (a Persian snack made of wheat) symbolizing health.
• Sekeh (coin) represents happiness (with its golden color) and prosperity.
• Sabzeh (wheat sprouts) corresponds with nature, the cycle of life, and purity
• Sonbol (the hyacinth flower) signifies the coming of Spring and nature’s aroma.
• Seer (garlic) denotes medicine.
• Seeb (red apple) embodies health and happiness (with its bright red color).
• Senjed (dried fruit of the oleaster tree) indicates health and love.

Other items often included with the Haft Seen are pastries, a mirror, a Holy Book, candles, eggs, and a bowl with goldfish. An egg is usually placed on the mirror to symbolize life and the annual orbit of the Earth around the sun. Looking at the goldfish at the turn of the year is believed to bring good luck. Families also usually burn esfand (a plant found in Iran) to ward off evil spirits, a tradition that has been around for centuries.

Sal-e-Tahvil

Before Nowruz begins, people put on brand new clothes and after the first hour (sal-e-tahvil) of the New Year, they spend the day visiting their elders, neighbors, and friends. For two weeks, people exchange gifts and travel to different cities to wish everyone a Happy New Year.

Haji Firooz

Haji Firooz is a traditional character of Nowruz. People parading as Haji Firooz disguise themselves with makeup and wear brightly colored red satin outfits. The Haji Firooz people sing and dance at a parade through the streets with tambourines, kettledrums, and trumpets to spread good cheer and the news of the coming New Year.

Seezdah Bedar

On the 13th day of the New Year, the Nowruz holiday finishes with another ceremony. This day is called "Seezdah Bedar," where “Seezdah” means thirteen and “Bedar” means “to overcome.” Everyone spends this day outside of their homes in nature. The Persians do this because they believe that it will prevent the bad luck of the Thirteenth from affecting them for the rest of the year. By celebrating and dancing, they rid themselves of bad luck and wish for a prosperous year. Young, unmarried men and women make knots in the sabzeh from their Haft Seen tables in the hopes of finding a spouse.

The Persian New Year is one of the most festive times of the year and its cultural significance brings Persians of all religious backgrounds together. The Iranian Student Association at California State University, Northridge, assembles an annual banquet commemorating Nowruz and exposing CSUN students and faculty to this wonderful holiday with food, music, and dancing.

This year’s celebration will be Tuesday, March 25, 2008, from 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM in the Northridge Center, located in the University Student Union. We hope to see you there!