Last week, I started the spring cleaning and also sprouted some lentils for the haft siin table, In this post I’ll speak about Chaharshanbeh soori – چهارشنبه سوری – red Wednesday in Farsi and Akhir Chaharshanba – اخیر چهارشنبه – last Wednesday in Azeri. Check out my instagram for photos. For millennia, the peoples of the Greater Iran region have built fires and jumped over them in a symbolic act of cleansing, change of fortune, and seeing the old year out, and new one in. I haven’t studied the origins of Chaharshanbeh soori to know for sure if it was Zoroastrian or a post Islamic Iran way of disrespecting fire (by jumping over it) and the superstition of Wednesday being lucky or unlucky. All I know is we all seem to enjoy gathering around a fire with loved ones and feel comforted in its glow and warmed by its energy.
Spring
Autumnal apricots گیساوا
شاد باشید که جشن مهرگان آمد بانگ و آوای ِدَرای ِکاروان آمد
Be happy Mehregan celebrations are here Call & song of caravan bells are here
Both poems in this blog are by Manuchehri Damghani, an 11th century Irani poet.
In Iran the equinoxes herald the seasons. The autumn equinox was on Wednesday 23rd of September for us in the northern hemisphere, and is known as Mehregan in Iran. Quite a different story for my sister in the antipodes!
Wild Garlic, Ramson or Bear’s Claw
Louz Azeri bayram shirnisi – Louz an Azeri New Year sweetmeat لوز
Chaharshanbeh Soori, penultimate Wednesday pyromania
In my last post, I mentioned I’d keep you up to date with my preparations for the celebration of Nowruz, and here I am with a quick update. Last week, I started the spring cleaning and also sprouted some lentils for the haft siin table (more in my next post), but in this post I’ll speak about Chaharshanbeh soori – چهارشنبه سوری – red Wednesday in Farsi and Akhir Chaharshanba – اخیر چهارشنبه – last Wednesday in Azeri. For millennia, the peoples of the Greater Iran region have built fires and jumped over them in a symbolic act of cleansing, change of fortune, and seeing the old year out, and new one in. I haven’t studied the origins of Chaharshanbeh soori to know for sure if it was Zoroastrian or a post Islamic Iran way of disrespecting fire (by jumping over it) and the superstition of Wednesday being lucky or unlucky. All I know is we all seem to enjoy gathering around a fire with loved ones and feel comforted in its glow and warmed by its energy.
New blog for Nowruz
خوش آمدید
I have been meaning to blog for at least a year but not got around to it. When Sanam of My Persian Kitchen asked me if I’d like to take part in an Irani New Year,or Nowruz, recipe roundup with fellow Irani food bloggers, I thought it seemed a very auspicious way to start. So, welcome everyone and merci Sanam jan.
Simi's Kitchen - Cookery School in Bath 