Farhang Foundation

Category: 2012 - Fantasy

Tags: Nowruz, holidays, Haft Sîn, spring, symbolically, goldfish, small jar, Iranian, new year

Nowruz is celebrated and observed by Iranians from 3,000 years ago. Nowruz marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the year in Iranian calendar. During the Nowruz holidays, people are expected to visit one another like families, friends and neighbors in the form of short house visits, which are usually reciprocated. Typically, on the first day of Nowruz, family members gather around the table, with the Haft Sîn on the table or set next to it, and await the exact moment of the arrival of the spring. Haft Sîn is a major traditional table setting of Nowruz. The Haft Sîn table includes seven specific items starting with the letter “s”, or Sīn in the Persian alphabet. The items symbolically correspond to seven creations and holy immortals called Amesha Sepanta, protecting them. The seven elements of life (namely fire, earth, water, air, plants, animals, and humans) are represented. Not much time is left to Nowruz. The little goldfish is waiting in the aquarium for its destiny. A finger points toward it, and the goldfish has to move to a small jar. On the other side, a salmon is being fished by a pointing finger and the little goldfish is witnessing the salmon is being cut and fried. At the moment of new year’s arrival, the Iranian couple is enjoying the salmon while the little goldfish jar has been added to the beauty of their new year table setting. The little goldfish dies in its jar at the time of the announcement of the new year.

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