Dream 2️⃣: Haft-Sin
As Nowruz came and went this year in the midst of so much darkness, we hold the people of Iran and the region in our hearts. With the events happening now, we turn toward this ancient holiday of rebirth and regeneration—we won’t be deterred by the evils of imperial aggression.
These haft-sin submissions came to us over the past few years, and we feel that we need to hope for renewal, to believe in the new day that Nowruz symbolizes. We need to embrace each other in every way we can <3.
Nowruz (Newroz/Nawroz/Nooroz) is the New Year according to the solar calendar, falling each year alongside the spring equinox. Nowruz, which translates to “new day” in Farsi, is a celebration of renewal in nature that spans 13 days and a number of specific festivities and rituals. To ritualize a fresh start and the first days of spring, some of the activities include cleaning your home, wearing new clothes, and jumping over a fire. A central pillar of the holiday is building the haft-sin, a series of symbols carefully laid out for the duration of the 13 days. The standard haft-sin includes seven (“haft”) items that start with the letter S (“sin”):
- Sabzeh > سبزه > sprouted wheat, barley or lentils > for rebirth
- Samanu (samani) > سمنو > sweet pudding made from wheat germ > for sweetness and fertility
- Senjed > سنجد > oleaster > for love
- Sir > سیر > garlic > for medicine and health
- Sib > سیب > apple > for beauty and health
- Somaq > سماق > sumac > for the sunrise
- Serkeh > سرکه > vinegar > for age and patience
What would it look like to re-envision the haft-sin? In thinking through our inherited rituals, we became curious about the possibilities of reimagining what it means to build an altar at this time each year. What happens when we step outside the “sin,” when our inherited rituals enter an in-between-ness?
Lara Sarkissian
Sunny Shokrae
Moein Shashaei
Hushidar Mortezaie
Mahyar Dini
Hoora S
Milād Ahmadi