THE URBAN MONARCH: Persian New Year 2024 | Norooz 1403

Persian New Year 2024 | Norooz 1403

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Grateful to celebrate our first Norooz in our new home in the beautiful Queen City, Charlotte! It’s hard to believe how much can change in just one year. The past few years haven’t been easy, with more downs than ups, to be honest. As we celebrate the Persian New Year, I realize that all the challenges I’ve faced were part of a bigger picture. While it didn’t always feel like it at the time, those struggles ultimately led me to who and where I am now—and turned out to be blessings in disguise.

Norooz, the celebration of the Persian New Year, isn’t just about marking the start of a new year—it’s about embracing new beginnings, renewal, and transformation. The timing of Norooz aligns with the spring equinox, a time when day and night are in perfect balance, symbolizing harmony and the potential for growth. Spring is a season of rebirth, where the world around us starts to awaken from the cold, dark winter, and so too do we find ourselves with a fresh start, ready to bloom.

This year, the theme of my Haftsin is "Full Bloom," symbolizing both the spring season and my own journey of growth. Life’s challenges, like winter, may be long and tough, but just as flowers need rest before they bloom, we too must go through periods of reflection and growth. Looking back, I see how each struggle allowed me to evolve, and I’ve emerged stronger, more vibrant, and ready for a new beginning. As a mother, it's never easy to go through these challenges silently while protecting your child from feeling any of the pain. Through everything I’ve endured, I hope to set an example for my daughter that every hardship is an opportunity to grow and blossom into something greater.

As we welcome Norooz, I’m reminded that life doesn’t happen to you—it happens for you. The hardships I’ve endured weren’t just obstacles; they were lessons, gifts in disguise, pushing me to grow stronger, more resilient, more grateful for what I have now, and more prepared for whatever comes next. Like the earth in spring, I feel as though I’m being given a fresh start—a chance to embrace the transformation ahead and step into this new chapter with a heart full of gratitude and optimism.

So here’s to new beginnings, growth, and embracing the beauty of life’s ever-changing seasons—both in nature and within ourselves. May we all find the courage to bloom where we are planted. Happy Norooz!

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Below is a breakdown of items placed on a Haftsin or Haftseen (Haft = 7 and seen = S's - Persian New Year spread w/ 7 symbolic items of your choosing that start with an S) & their symbolism:

HAFTSIN (or HAFTSEEN) SPREAD: MAIN ITEMS

Sabzeh - Wheat or lentil sprouts growing in a dish - symbolizing rebirth

Samanoo - A sweet pudding made from wheat germ - symbolizing the sweetness of life

Senjed - The dried fruit of the oleaster tree - symbolizing love

Seer - Garlic - symbolizing medicine & to ward off bad omens

Seeb - Apple - symbolizing beauty and health

Serkeh - Vinegar - symbolizing age and patience

Sekkeh - Coins - prosperity and wealth

Sonbol - Hyacinth flower - symbolizing the start of spring

Somagh (sumac) - symbolizing the spice of life

ADDITIONAL ITEMS ALSO USED ON THE SPREAD

Eyeneh vah Shamdon (Mirror and Candles) – symbolizing enlightenment and happiness

Tokhmeh Morgh (decorated eggs) – symbolizing fertility

Mahi (Fish) – symbolizing life

Holy book or Hafez Book of Poems (depending on faith) – symbolizing God's blessing

Saleh No Mobarak! (Happy New Year!)

The Urban Monarch

Mona Kiani, of The Urban Monarch, is a lifestyle blogger based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The blog utilizes her influences of fashion, music, finance, and culture ….Hence, The Urban Monarch.

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