Haft-sin


Haft-sin or Haft-seen is an arrangement of seven symbolic items whose names start with the letter "س" pronounced as "seen" the 15th letter in the Persian alphabet. It is traditionally displayed at Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, which is celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox, marking the beginning of spring on the Northern Hemisphere.

Items of Haft Seen

The following are the primary items of Haft-sin, whose Persian names begin with the letter sin in the Persian alphabet.
  1. Sabzeh – wheat, barley, mung bean, or lentil sprouts grown in a dish.
  2. Samanu – wheat germ sweet pudding.
  3. Senjed – Persian olive.
  4. Serkeh – vinegar.
  5. Seeb – apple.
  6. Seer – garlic.
  7. Somāq – sumac.
Coins, hyacinth, and clock are sometimes included too. Other symbolic items that are typically used to accompany Haft-sin include a mirror, candles, painted eggs, goldfish, and traditional Persian confectioneries.
A "book of wisdom" is also commonly included, which might be the Quran, the Bible, the Avesta, the Shahnameh, or the divān of Hafez.

Symbolic Roots of Haft Seen

The Haft-Seen table represents nature. By tradition, Iranian families take great pains to create the most beautiful Haft-Seen table that they can, for not only does it embody values both traditional and spiritual, it is also appreciated by the visitors during Nowruz visiting exchanges as a reflection of the families' aesthetic sense and good taste.
Items that start with Persian letter "س":
Other items that start with Persian letter "س" that are sometimes included:
Items that don't start with "س" but, nonetheless, are invariably included:
In Afghanistan, people prepare Haft Mēwa in addition to or instead of Haft Seen which is common in Iran. Haft Mewa is like a fruit salad made from seven different dried fruits, served in their own syrup. The seven dried fruits are: raisins, Senjed, pistachios, hazelnuts, prunes, walnuts and either almonds or another species of plum fruit.

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