Get inspired to set up your own Norooz/Nowruz Sofreh Haft Seen this year! Co-hosts Bita and Beata give an overview of the Persian New Year and encourage everyone to set up the traditional place setting with 7 symbolic items (or with whatever items you can get your hands on!)
Highlights of Norooz (also spelled Nowruz)
- It is the biggest Persian holiday and celebrated by other nationalities and countries as well
- It means new day and a time of renewal and rebirth
- Celebrated at the Spring Equinox for 13 days
- Youngers pay respect to elders, and in exchange the elders give them money or “Aid-e”
- Ends with “Sezdeh Bedar” - get out of the house on the 13th day for a picnic.
Learn more about Norooz in the Modern Persian Food podcast 3-part series episodes 22, 23, and 24 (see links below).
The sofreh Haft Seen is a special place setting with 7 symbolic items starting with the Farsi letter which has the sound of “s”
Items on the Haft-seen place setting or sofreh can include:
- Seeb - apple, representing health
- Seer - garlic, representing good health
- Somagh - sumac, the color of sunrise
- Sombol - fragrant flower, the Hyacinth flower
- Serkeh - vinegar, patience and aging
- Sabzeh - the Persian grass or sprouted legumes/lentils, representing growth and renewal
- Senjed - dried jujube, representing love
- Samanou - wheat germ pudding, representing patience, power, and bravery
- Sekeh - coins; representing prosperity
- Shirini - sweets
Additional, optional items often found on a haft-seen setting
- Mirror
- Candles
- Termeh or beautiful old fabric
- Colored, decorated eggs
- Fish - live or a representation of them
- Fresh flowers of any form
- A special book of poetry or a holy book (tradition being that at the moment of Norooz, clean, new bills are taken from the holy book by elders and gifted to youngers)
- Framed photos to commemorate deceased family members
Setting up a haft-seen can take different forms. There is a lot of flexibility with how one chooses to set it up. It can be big or small. It can even be portable! Beata’s strategy is to start out with a mirror and then build the haft seen from there. Often Beata will start out with a larger haftseen set up on a table then make it smaller on the days following Norooz. A tray is a clever addition which can be used to move the table setting up if needed, or to even transport it to another place or home altogether.
We encourage you to set up your own haft-seen! Send us your Haft Seen pics and we will share them on IG!
Ask the Beats!
Manijeh from Germany asks: “What are you going to eat for Norooz this year?”
Sabzi polo - herb rice
Mahi - fish
Aash eh reshteh - Persian Herb and Noodle Soup
Kookoo sabzi
Resource links and recipes from this episode:
Modern Persian Food podcast 3-part Series-
Episode 73: Growing Sabzeh with Naz
Recipes:
Beata’s Ash Reshteh | Persian Noodle Soup
Asheh Reshteh – Persian Noodle Soup – Original Recipe Post
Bita’s Aash Reshteh | Persian Noodle Soup
Beata’s Persian Frittata Koo Koo Sabzi
Bita’s Kookoo Sabzi | Quiche Muffins
Bita’s Easy Marinated Salmon
Haftseen for Norooz post
All Modern Persian Food podcast episodes can be found at: Episodes
Co-host Beata Nazem Kelley blog: BeatsEats – Persian Girl Desperately Addicted to Food!
Co-host Bita Arabian blog: Oven Hug - Healthy Persian Recipes | Modern Persian Recipes
Podcast production by Alvarez Audio