Haft-sin
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Haft-Seen (Persian: هفتسین) or the seven 'S's is a traditional table setting of Nowruz, the traditional Iranian spring celebration. Today the haft seen table includes seven specific items, all starting with the letter seen (س) in the Persian alphabet. Haft-Seen was originally called Haftchin (Haftĉin) derived from the words Chin (چین) and Haft (هفت) meaning "to place" seven (items). The table is set by placing the following items which symbolize Zoroastrian yazatas or divinities such as ātar and asmān.
The "Haft Chin" items are:
- Mirror - symbolizing Sky
- Apple - symbolizing Earth
- Candles - symbolizing Fire
- Golab - rose water symbolizing Water
- Sabzeh - wheat, or barley sprouts symbolizing Plants
- Goldfish - symbolizing Animals
- Painted Eggs - symbolizing Humans and Fertility
The Haft Seen items are:
- Sabzeh - wheat, barley, mung bean or lentil sprouts growing in a dish - symbolising rebirth
- Samanu - sweet pudding made from wheat germ - symbolising affluence
- Senjed - dried oleaster fruit - symbolising love
- Sir - (Persian: سیر)- garlic - symbolising medicine
- Sib - (Persian: سیب)- apples - symbolising beauty and health
- Somāq - sumac fruit - symbolising (the color of) sunrise
- Serkeh - (Persian: سرکه) - vinegar - symbolising old-age and patience
A slightly less traditional Haft Seen may also include:
- Sonbol - the fragrant hyacinth flower - symbolising the coming of spring
- Sekkeh - coins - symbolising prosperity
- Iranian pastries such as Baqlava ,
- Tut[disambiguation needed] - white berries, Nān-Noxodchi )
- Ājil - dried nuts, berries and raisins
- lit candles symbolising enlightenment and happiness
- a mirror symbolising Truth, the reflection of the Real World
- sekanjabin - a sweet mint syrup
- decorated eggs, sometimes one for each member of the family symbolising fertility
- a bowl with goldfish symbolising life, and the constellation of Pisces which the Sun is leaving[citation needed]
- water with a bitter orange in it symbolising Earth "floating" in space
- rose water, used to cleanse in Islam before prayer and is also heavily prevalent in Iranian cuisine
- the flag of Iran
- A poetry book, such as the Shahnameh or the Divan of Hafiz, or a religious text such as the holy Quran or Avesta
Mary Boyce described a traditional Sharifabadi Zoroastrian New Years observance as including:[1]
- Sabzeh - Sprouts from seven different kinds of seeds
- clay figures, whitewashed (favorites being domestic animals, cows, donkeys, sheep, camel, nightingale, peacock, also household objects such as sugar-loaf, bowls, or a three-legged stool). These "bear witness to the triumphant works of creation."
- a mirror
- a low brazier full of fire
- a lamp
- sprays of cypress or pine
- pomegranates
- painted eggs
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Haftseen Table -
Haftseen Table -
Haftseen Table -
Haftseen Table -
Haftseen Table -
Haftseen Table in Sharif university of Iran -
Haftseen in the White House -
Haftseen Table, Fazaye-no, Tehran 1389 -
Haftseen Table, Fazaye-no, Tehran 1390 -
Haftseen Table, Fazayeno, Tehran 1391
References
- ^ Boyce, Mary. A Persian Stronghold of Zoroastrianism. Oxford [Eng.]: Clarendon Press, 1977, pp. 215, 217, 49, 170, and Pl. IVa.