
Haft-Sin
Persian New Year Rituals
This weekend I am decorating my Haft-seen table, this is a special table for Persian New year (Nowruz), the Festival of the beginning of spring.
This table is made up of seven items that start with the letter “S”, haft-seen literally means “seven S’s ’’

Every item that is placed on the Haft-sin table symbolises something positive for the coming year:
Sumac (crushed spice of berries): For the sunrise
Senjed (sweet dry fruit of the lotus tree): For love and affection
Serkeh (vinegar): For patience and age
Seeb (apples): For beauty
Sir (garlic): For good health
Samanu (wheat pudding): For fertility and the sweetness
Sabzeh (sprouted wheat grass): For rebirth and renewal of nature
Other items are placed on the table including an orange floating in a bowl of water, which is a sign of earth rotating around itself, a mirror that symbolizes sky and self-reflection, eggs symbolizing creation and fertility, coins symbolizing wealth and prosperity and a fishbowl is the sign of the last month of the Persian calendar, and the turning of the goldfish inside the bowl is a sign of turning of the year and a new beginning.
I love this ritual and the beautiful, positive meanings. It reminds me to think about the wonderful things I have and hope for the year to come.
