Happy Norouz!

Event Details:

• Monday, March 18
• Time: 2:00-4:00 p.m.
• Location: DSB Atrium, McMaster Main Campus
• Refreshments will be provided.
• Let’s set up the Haft Seen table and paint some eggs together!

What is Norouz?

Norouz (or Nowruz), meaning “New Day”, is the Persian New Year and first day of Spring. Norouz celebrations represent revival, rebirth of nature, and the renewal of the earth that occurs with the changing of the seasons.

When is Norouz?

Norouz begins on the Spring Equinox at the exact moment when the sun passes over the equator, so the exact date and time is different every year.

This year, Norouz begins on Tuesday, March 19 at 11:06 p.m. (ET). Norouz celebrations last for a total of 13 days.

How is Norouz celebrated?

Before the New Year, families shop for new clothes to wear on Norouz and deep clean their homes to make room for good fortune – this is one of the origins of the term “spring cleaning”, or “Khouneh Tekouni” in Persian which translates to “shaking the house”.

On the first day of Norouz, friends and family members travel to visit each other, exchange gifts, and gather around the Sofreh Haft Seen (Haft Seen table). Haft Seen translates to “seven S’s”, which refers to the seven customary symbols that are each represented by items placed on the table:

• Senjed: Silverberry, symbol of love
• Seeb: Apple, symbol of beauty
• Sabzeh: Sprouts, symbol of growth and rebirth
• Seer: Garlic, symbol of good health
• Samanoo: Sweet wheat pudding, symbol of affluence
• Serkeh: Vinegar, symbol of patience and old age
• Somagh: Sumac (red spice), symbol of sunrise

Other items may also be placed on the table, such as coins (for wealth), painted eggs (for fertility), and traditional pastries (for sweetness).

How to greet someone who is celebrating Norouz:

A common greeting is to wish someone a “Happy Norouz” (English), or “Norouz Pirouz” (Persian), meaning “Happy New Year.”