THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:Thousands of miles from their homeland they are welcoming Nowruz, the spring equinox heralding the season of blooms. With trumpets, drums and an auspicious table of ‘seven S’, they ring in 1396, the Persian New Year, this time dedicated to the rooster. It’s folk tunes and festivities all around as the Iranian community in the city come together and celebrate the day that marks new beginnings.
“It’s a three-thousand-year-old ritual followed by Iranians across the globe. We believe that the Nowruz spirit can beat all dark challenges that come our way,” says Mir Mahmoud Mortazavi, a member of Iranian Society of Kerala.
The Nowruz spirit
Nowruz is a festival that celebrates ancient ethos, glorious customs that are part of the Iranian culture. Breaking away from the cold dark winter and coinciding with the rebirth of nature, this Persian New Year is treated as the period of renewed hope and energy. “It started as back as 15,000 years before the ice age. According to historians, it was the change in the weather that gave rise to the festivities. Centuries back, before the disintegration of Persian empire, Iran was one of the most powerful countries in the world,” says Mir. In a sense, Nowruz is a spirit that unifies the people of Iran that endured long wars and political chaos. “We hope that the Iranian New Year brings in peace, tolerance and prosperity,” adds Mir.
The ceremonial table
The elaborate haft-sin, a table featuring seven items starting with alphabet ‘S’ in Persian, is the most important ritual of Nowruz. “Sabzeh, wheat sprouts growing in a dish, represents rebirth. Then there is samanu, a type of sweet pudding made from wheat germ symbolising affluence,” says Fatemeh Joharifard, another member. Others on the table are senjed (dried oleaster fruit for love), sir (garlic for medicine, sib (apples for beauty and health) somaq (sumac fruit symbolising sunrise) and serkeh (vinegar for patience). She adds that the table is loaded with every article they consider auspicious including a mirror and a piar of gold fish swimming in a glass bowl. “During the festival we stand around the table and pray for our heartfelt wishes to come true. Then we take Divan of Hafez, a poetry collection, to know our fortunes. Most Iranian families have this book and during New Year we open a random page and read the poem on it. Whatever is written on the page indicates your future,” she says.
Indian connection
Nowruz is not confined to Iran or Iranian households, but is often celebrated across national and ethnic divides. “It started at a time when the Persian empire was in its full glory and even today is observed by the people of nine other countries,” says Mir. In India it’s enthusiastically celebrated by the Parsi community, the aftermath of a long history of shared culture. “During the Mughal era a large number of Iranian poets migrated to Indian court. Persian was the official language and poetry paved way for cultural exchange between the two countries,” adds Fatemeh.