Wheatgrass

Today is the start of Nowruz, a 13-day long celebration that celebrates the New Year beginning on the day of the Spring Equinox. The ancient celebration stems from ancient Persia’s pre-Islamic religion, Zoroastrianism, but during the past 3,000 years has taken on many rituals that blend both. The celebration of Nowruz is not exclusive to Iran; many Turks, Kurds, Afghans, Albanians, and many others also celebrate this holiday of the coming of Spring as the beginning of a new year.

It makes sense that this would be the New Year, as the earth begins to show signs of life again after the long Winter. People wear new clothing, do an in-depth spring cleaning, spend time visiting friends, and prepare special dishes that symbolize the earth’s rebirth. Every household puts together a Haft Seen, or spread of 7 items that all start with the letter “S”. Sprouts, eggs, garlic, and apples are just some examples of what is present on this table. Emma and I attempted to put together our own Haft Seen a few years ago. We bought two fish, Adam and Gihan, who were meant to symbolize life and the end of the Astral year (think Pisces). Adam and Gihan died after about 2 days, but the experience was fun regardless.

I wanted to write this blog entry and bring back our Nowruz episode from last year, in which we made special dishes for the celebration using the life of Omar al Khayyam, the Persian polymath, as a catalyst. Our Nowruz recipes included Opulent Mung Bean Balls of Samarkand and . We also did a video about how to put together your own Haft Seen and honor the coming of Spring and the end of Winter.

Nowruz Mubarak!