In
Iran (formerly called Persia), schools are off today so that families
can spend the day outdoors, eating picnics and playing games. It is
the last day of the two-week-long New Year (Nowruz)
celebration, and it is a fun and relaxing way to end the holiday
period.
It's
supposed to be a good day to ask for rain and to make wishes for the
future. Girls and boys tie a knot with grass and make wishes; when
they unknot the grass again, it is supposed to “open up” their
luck and make their wish come true. Another fun tradition that is a
nod to old superstitions is throwing away the Sabzeh,
the sprouts planted for the Nowruz
table's centerpiece.
The Sabzeh
is
tossed into
a stream if possible; its disposal is supposed to get rid of bad luck
and ensure only good luck in the coming year.
By
the way...
I
struggled with looking up the name of the holiday, the name of the
garden of sprouts, and the name of the New Year. Persian (also known
as Farsi) is written in Persian script, which is based on Arabic
script. People who transcribe words from one alphabet to another
often use different spellings to express the sounds. For example, I
ran into many spellings for the New Year such as Nowruz,
Noruz, NowRooz, No-Rooz.
Farsi Net has four different spellings on the same page: Nowrooz,
NoRuz,
Now
Ruz,
and NoRooz. Wikipedia lists 23 variants!
To
celebrate the day...
Nothing
could be easier, if you are lucky enough to have good weather today,
to celebrate Nature Day the Persian way: Go outside, play outdoor
games, and have a picnic!
Also
on this date:
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