This Sunday is Nowruz, which marks the beginning of the New Year for many countries in the Balkans, Central Asia, and the Middle East. Hilda, our Urban Agriculture Manager at the Green Barns, shared the following with us about celebrating Nowruz:
The First Day of Spring, is a time for new growth, light and warmth and is also the day that many Iranians celebrate Nowruz, meaning literally "new day". The Iranian calendar is based off a solar calendar, where the first day of Spring marks the first day of the year, (which I personally think is more fitting for new years) and is a time for new beginnings and celebrating with family and friends.
Many of our traditions for this holiday revolve around food. Some of my favorite ones include putting together a symbolic haftsin table which includes seven items, each beginning with the Farsi letter "S": sabzeh(wheatgrass), senjed (lotus tree fruit), sib (apple), seer (garlic), samanu (type of traditional wheat pudding), serkeh (vinegar), and sumac (crushed spice of berries), all representing significant wishes for the year such as longevity, health and the sunrise.
Another one is making sure to visit with all family and friends and sharing food, pastries and tea. The traditional meal to be eaten on the first day of new year's is white fish with herbed rice, but you can change it up to any dish that has a lot of greens and fresh herbs. Some of my other favorites include ash reshteh or kuku sabzi.
Persian new year is one of the biggest holidays for Iranians and I always encourage people around me to wish other Iranians a Happy New Year or "Nowruz Mobarek" and to try new Persian foods to celebrate alongside us.
You can find the vendor roster for this week with contact information below. We also have the complete roster on our website; don't forget to check in with your favourite vendors to find out how you can order from them during the week.
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