Hello beloved consumers! Today is Norooz, the first day of spring, the vernal equinox, and the start of Iranian New Year. Norooz literally translates to ‘new day’ and isn’t that a beautiful way to think of a new year? A new day! It takes some of the pressure off. This is as good of an occasion as any to get the newsletter one day early - and it’s timed to arrive in your inbox at the minute of the equinox. Happy spring, happy new year.
One of my goals in life will be to get more people to celebrate this holiday — in addition to the 300 million people across South West Asia and the Caucuses and their diaspora communities. It isn’t a religious holiday (although it’s roots are in Zoroastrianism which is full of beauty!) and it’s thousands of years old. It’s the only new year based on the earth’s rotation! It’s a cosmic event that ushers in the change of seasons with hopes for renewal, rebirth, and growth. It involves food, parties, and spending time with people you love outdoors. *Ina Garten voice* Now what could be better than that? So for this week’s Friday Five, we’ll have a spin on the usual, centered around this holiday.
New Tradition / Potential Fire Hazard: I’ve mentioned that the term and concept of ‘spring cleaning’ has its roots in the pre-Norooz tradition of khane tekani (literal translation: shaking the house). Another fabulous pre-tradition that you all should try is coming to you belatedly, but trying it doesn’t hurt! We jump over fires on the Wednesday prior to the New Year, which we call Chaharshanbe Suri (literal translation Red Wednesday) - this is rooted in the old Zoroastrian belief in the cleansing powers of fire. You don’t have to go to a proper event (see below) to do this, you can just jump over a candle a few times, the intention is to cleanse yourself of any bad vibes or spirits from the prior year before the New Year begins.
My friend Mandy jumped over candles with her beautiful family and shared an extremely cute video of it:
Recipe: There are a few dishes that always have a place at the Norooz table, including herbed rice with fish (the herbs resembling spring greenery, the fish representing fertility and life), herb fritattas called kuku sabzi, ash-e reshte, an incredible legume and noodle soup where the noodles represent all the different life paths ahead of you. Kuku sabzi is one of the easiest and most adaptable recipes based on what you have in your pantry, and I’m sharing my reicpe here as part of a larger Nowruz piece I wrote last year!
Throwback Song: I feel vulnerable sharing anything with a ‘Caltex Records’ label on it. Think of them as Iranian-American Cash Money Records but instead of hip-hop, they’re producing sappy, beautiful, and heavily synthesized pop ballads that Iranians of all ages know by heart. There are so many good Norooz songs but this one holds a special place in my heart. It’s a collaboration between two Iranian musical legends (Bijan Mortazavi is more of a classical musician, Andy is our globally recognized popstar) celebrating our biggest holiday. This is our equivalent of Christmas music — the lyrics are all about rejoicing in the arrival of spring with one refrain stating ‘Inshallah every day will feel like Norooz for you, may you always be this happy and joyful’!
I grew up going to a secular Farsi school on the weekends, and each year they organized a Norooz pageant where each class would perform a song that they worked all year to rehearse for and prepare. This was our song in the third grade (we were all about 8 or 9 years old), and we showed up and showed out - singing our little hearts out on bleachers on the stage, having a full on dance break during the instrumental bits.
When we made it to our second-to-last year, seventh grade, our teacher wanted to brainstorm what we should sing, throwing out ideas for substantive poems and plays. There was a year where we did a play about mermaids (lol) - consumers Ariana and Donna will remember Paria. Like a jury, the twelve of us kids unanimously voted for this song. Our teacher was hesitant but the following week when she procured a boombox and this song on a burned CD (it might’ve been a cassette!) — we all sang along and it was a done deal. And like we did as little ones, our thirteen-year-old selves showed up and showed out to this. Our awkwardness went to the side for one evening, the token boy in our classroom was made to hold a big drum (shout out Arman) and stand in the middle of the stage. It was perfect, this song is perfect, and I hope at least the visual of a dozen teenagers bursting out into song and dance to this brings you some joy.
Expression: I don’t know why I haven’t included this as a category in any previous Consumed! There are thousands of incredible, poetic expressions in Farsi that I love, but I’ll choose one in the theme of this holiday and my life (my second Norooz ever away from my family!): Jaye shoma khali. Literally translated, it means your space/place is empty. It’s our way of saying we wish you were here. We use this expression liberally: my Maman says it after she’s cooked something incredible— I made the best ghorme sabzi, jaye shoma khali. My Dad says it when he goes on a great walk - The sun was shining and it was amazing, jaye shoma khali. I asked my parents to keep my place empty (hold a spot for me) at their Norooz meal yesterday. May we all tell the ones we love when their place is empty and make sure they feel loved even from a distance.
Joyful Iranian Internet Content:
I have to start this category with an unhinged Reddit post from their Am I the Asshole? community, where people share various quandaries with hopes of an answer to that big question. This one is about throwing away your boyfriend’s yogurt collection (lol), and there’s one line in particular that haunts me to this day:
I’m always thinking about the Iranian yogurt and how it’s not the issue here.
Next, we have an honorary Iranian - the youths on the internet (I really sound senile now) have taken to calling Rachel Sennott ‘Fatima’ because she gives off vaguely Arab or SWANA vibes. This video of her at Sundance paired with that caption? I get it now. She’s perfect. Honorary Doctorate in Iranian Studies. Invited to the mehmooni (our cookout). #oneofus
This collection of photos from Iran on film, by the lovely Taraneh Tajdini, all feel like home. Even if home is a place I haven’t quite been to yet, every one of these images make me feel something down to my achy old bones.
This Tehrani bakery has won my heart over, with an entremet inspired by my favorite Iranian new year cookie, a clover made from chickpea flour. I would give my all to bake with this man!
Next up, here’s a selection of vintage advertisements from Iran — the last one, Nivea Creme, is my favorite. That was my Maman Bozorg’s (Grandma) favorite beauty product, and the smell of it takes me to her immediately.
For more Norooz lore for the curious and spring-inclined, this Brit has really nailed a great pitch for the holiday!
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Next up, we have my parents rejoicing in the arrival of the New Year in 2021. We have countdown clocks for Norooz and the second the clock strikes, we embrace one another, we call all our loved ones, and we let out a deep exhale — the New Year is finally here.
Last but not least, here I am in my first Norooz pageant, playing the hyacinth (sonbol) in a little play where each of us were one of the symbolic items on the traditional Norooz spread, the Haft-Sin.
Norooz Pirooz! Happy Norooz! I’m so glad you’re here.
Roya