Episode 75: Norooz Haft Seen

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 22: Norooz Part 1

Episode 23: Norooz Part 2

Episode 24: Norooz Part 3