5 Things to Know About Persian New Year

On Wednesday, March 20, Persians across the—including here in Beverly Hills—will be celebrating the start of the Persian New Year. Also known as Nowruz ("new day" in Farsi), it's a pre-Islamic holiday rooted in the Zoroastrian faith and is recognized in the United States.

In March 2012, both houses of the U.S. Congress passed the Nowruz Resolution, marking the first time the federal government officially celebrated the holiday. 

Nowruz celebrates the arrival of spring. Here are a few things you might not have known about the holiday:

1. Haft Seen: For Nowruz, households will display various symbolic items on a large table. The setting is called the haft seen.

As part of the haft seen, seven dishes are displayed that stand for the seven heralds of life: rebirth, health, happiness, prosperity, joy, patience and beauty.

2. Fish for New Year's Eve: The main course for Persian New Year's Eve dinner is usually a rice dish made with fish and green herbs. 

3. House Visits: For the first 12 days of a new Persian year, people are supposed to visit family members and friends, starting with the most elderly. The house visits, which are usually reciprocated, never take place at a meal time, so only tea and snacks need to be served to guests.

4. Money for Children: It's a Nowruz custom to give children money for the new year.

5. An Outing: The Nowruz celebration ends on its 13th day with an outing activity that usually includes a picnic. 

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