New Year’s, Persian Style

For Iranians, the start of spring brings celebration with family and friends.

 

The weather is still cold, but green grass carpets the hills, pollen shakes down from the trees, and an elusive sweet smell rides on the air. In Iranian circles around the world, such natural cues mean that it’s time to get ready for Norooz, the Persian New Year. The holiday is cultural, not religious, and dates back more than 2,500 years.

Dhara Taheripour, an extremely well-informed 13-year-old, sees the holiday as an opportunity to show Americans a beautiful aspect of the culture of Iran, and his parents, Mardjan and Bahman, invited Diablo to a Norooz celebration at their home last year. “When Americans think of Iran, it’s bad things. They think of bombs and terrorism, not joy and celebration,” says Dhara. “I enjoy teaching my friends about Norooz.”

As guests trickled into his Orinda home, Dhara played teacher, explaining the significance of every item on the Haft Seen, a table laid with symbolic items. Haft Seen means seven s’s, and each item on the table starts with the letter s in Farsi—such as sabzeh for sprouting wheat or barley, to represent the rebirth of spring, or sumanu for wheat germ pudding, which represents affluence.

The dramatic ritual that starts the holiday is fire jumping. Dhara’s school-age cousin says that at his house, the fire is contained in a low tin canister, but at his grandparents’ house, “It’s like a stunt show with flames four feet high and my grandmother walking through them.”

Fire jumping has its origins in Zoroastrianism, the religion dominant in Persia before the Arab conquest. The jumper is supposed to gather energy and good health from the fire, along with soot to symbolize how the sunshine of spring will darken the skin. In Farsi, the jumper says to the fire: “Your health to me and my sickly paleness to you.”

Norooz is scheduled to coincide with the official start of spring—usually March 20 or 21. Fire jumping generally happens the Wednesday prior to Norooz and the 13 days of celebration that follow the holiday. This time of year typically includes visiting among families and friends. Mardjan’s sister compares it to Christmas, because the whole country of Iran is off work and the season is very festive. “I just associate Norooz with flowers and the weather getting warmer—it’s a beautiful time of the year,” she says. Many guests commented that it feels like a fresh start.

When the Ayatollah Khomeini came to power in Iran in 1979, he initially deemed Norooz an “un-Islamic” practice, but the holiday was so popular among the Iranian people that it persisted. And the holiday has always been celebrated by people of Persian origin elsewhere, including Afghanistan, Turkey, and Pakistan. Indeed, it would be difficult to halt the sort of private gathering hosted by the Taheripours last March.

As family members and Western friends gathered in the living room—the Persian men kissing each other no less than two times on both cheeks and saying happy New Year in Farsi—buttery aromas emerged from the kitchen.

When dinner was served, it was a bountiful feast of basmati rice pilaf dishes—one spiked with green herbs, one tossed with toasted brown noodles, almonds, and dates—and saffron-marinated as well as smoked whitefish served with fresh orange wedges for squeezing over the fish. Other dishes included a plate of fresh radishes and herbs, as well as kookoo, a delicious vegetable quiche made of Persian chives, cilantro, parsley, walnuts, and sour berries.

The event had the feel of any number of American holidays, with the kids camping out in their parents’ room to play video games and grown-ups catching up in the living room. Norooz coincided with Mardjan’s father’s 78th birthday, so at dessert, Mardjan served a cake with candles and the family sang “Happy Birthday,” first in English and then in Farsi. The old man couldn’t stop beaming.

Often, Persians living in the United States are highly private and avoid the public spotlight, Mardjan’s relatives said. They expressed concern that Americans associate the Iranian people with the hard-line stance of the Iranian government. In reflecting on her choice to share her family’s celebration of Norooz with Diablo, Mardjan says, “This is really important to me because I want the whole world to know about the beauty of this holiday and the hospitality and warmth that come with it.”

Get jumpin’: If you’d like to start your spring with a little fire jumping, head to the Persian Center in Berkeley, 2029 Durant Ave., Ste. 1, (510) 848-0264, persiancenter.org. The ceremony starts at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17. ■

 

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