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Nowruz Pirooz! by Sarvin Haghighi

 

As we approach Persian New year I thought it would be good to share some details about Nowruz for those who might not be familiar with it.

Nowruz (pronounced no-rooz) is a combination of two Persian words. The first word “now” means new and the second word “ruz” means day; together they mean “New Day.” Nowruz is the name for the celebrations that observe the New Year for many Persian and Central Asian communities. The exact beginning of the New Year occurs when the season changes from winter to spring on the vernal equinox, which usually happens on 20 or 21 March each year. The spelling of Nowruz in English can take many forms, including: Noroz, Norouz, Nowruz and Norooz. For this resource we have used the spelling Nowruz.

It is a secular holiday that is enjoyed by people of several different faiths and as such can take on additional interpretations through the lens of religion. Nowruz is partly rooted in the religious tradition of Zoroastrianism and became a popular celebration among the communities that grew from the Persian influenced cultural areas. While the physical region called Persia no longer exists, the traditions of Nowruz are strong among people in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Canada and the United States.

The most important activity in the celebration of Nowruz is making the haft-seen table. Haft is the Persian word for the number seven and seen is the Persian word for the letter S. Literally, the haft-seen table means a “table of seven things that start with the letter S’. Creating the haft-seen table is a family activity that begins by spreading a special family cloth on the table. Next the table is set with the seven S items. Here are some of the items and what they symbolize:

Sumac (crushed spice of berries): For the sunrise and the spice of life Senjed (sweet dry fruit of the lotus tree): For love and affection Serkeh (vinegar): For patience and age Seeb (apples): For health and beauty

Sir (garlic): For good health Samanu (wheat pudding): For fertility and the sweetness of life Sabzeh (sprouted wheat grass): For rebirth and renewal of nature

In addition to these S items, there are other symbolic items that go on the haft-seen table, depending on the tradition of each family. It is customary to place a mirror on the table to symbolize reflection on the past year, an orange in a bowl of water to symbolize the Earth, a bowl of real goldfish to symbolize new life, colored eggs to represent fertility, coins for prosperity in the New Year, special flowers called hyacinths to symbolize spring and candles to radiate light and happiness. Each family places other items on the table that are special for example, family photos of those who might not be present at the table once the the Qur’an- the holy book of Islam - or the Shahnameh, an epic Persian story of colorful kings and princes written around the year 1000 CE or book of poetry by the famous poet Shams ud-Din Hafez. Hafez who lived in Persian lands during the 14th Century CE.

As we are currently in Dubai due to the MOP Foundation Auction on my piece which will be on March 21st, I will have to share with you the image of our version of haft sin at a later stage.

Last but not least, here is a great song perfumed by Ali Azimi welcoming Nowruz.

Nowruz Pirooz !

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1--jgwyT4Dw[/embed]

Updates on the Nowruz Gala in Dubai - March 2015 by Sarvin Haghighi

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Persian New Years has always been exciting but as we get closer, I feel a bit more excited even du to the Magic of Persia Gala event; having a piece in any auction could be exciting yet stressful. Lot of "What Ifs" go through my head and at the same time I couldn't be more proud to be part of this amazing night. This could be the only time I will be happy to be a bit jet lagged maybe that would calm me down a bit! Flying from Melbourne to Dubai could not be so bad after all...just like my mom always tells me "Better to see the glass as half full'. Now that the Gala night is just a few nights away, I couldn't be happier to have my husband with me on that night, my number one fan and my supporter will be by my side as always and we will celebrate the Persian new year with selling one of my pieces in an auction which is going to be run by Christie's...could I ask for a better way to celebrate New Years? Don't think so...

The schedule sent to the artists by Magic Of Persia Foundation looks really interesting as well. We will have VIP passes to Art Dubai, an amazing art event which attracts art lovers from all over the world to the magical city of Dubai. On the night of the Auction - March 21st - we will be having some events as well prior to the auction and we will end the night with live performance by Shahram Shabpareh who is a well known musician since 60's.

Stay tuned for some images, photos and updates from Dubai!

MOP Foundation

New piece - Make it Rain by sarvin

Like any other Iranian, I've always been obsessed by our poetry. It's part of our culture. We grow up knowing our poets and their poems.  One of my all time favorites, Rumi (Molana) has always been an inspiration for me as I'm sure for many others. This painting is another example of how his art inspired me. The words in the painting below are in Farsi ; "Freedom", "Happiness", "Hope", "Belief" and "Forgiveness".  Below painting was inspired by one of my favorite Rumi quotes: “Raise your words, not voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.”

Acrylic on canvas - 36"x48"

Make it rain - Freedom Series