"Haft Seen," The Seven S Spread

In line with the Naw-Ruz tradition of setting up a haft seen, Shahrzad went all out this year and set up this wonderful spread. This Naw-Ruz, our spread was adorned with the picture of the late Mr. Saririan who has been visibly missed. The seven S spread has many components, each symbolizing a wish for the new year. Youth, health, fertility, and prosperity include some of the symbolism of this ancient spread. Here are a few pictures of the hard work Shahrzad endured in the making of the Naw-Ruz spread!

Naw-Ruz, the Vernal Equinox

Yesterday, at precisely 17:07 Arizona time, the Sun crossed the equator, marking the beginning of the Spring and Naw-Ruz, a holy day on which work is to be suspended for the people of Baha. Naw-Ruz is the beginning of new year in many countries including Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Azerbaijan. It is also celebrated by the Kurds in Iran, Turkey, and Iraq.

The Holy Days Committee of Scottsdale had a glorious celebration last night in honor of Naw-Ruz. More than 400 people were in attendance. I have attached a copy of the program here. Happy Naw-Ruz to all. Shahrzad and I wish everyone a prosperous year filled with continued health, joy, and exultation!

Beware the Ides of March

On the Ides of March (or March 15), 44 B.C., Julius Caesar was assassinated, at the foot of a statue of Pompey where the senate was meeting. In his famous play, Shakespeare wrote of the warning given to Caesar before the date by a seer. In his 1798 rendition of the event entitled "Mort de César," Vincenzo Camuccini painted the image of the foreboding doom for Caesar, pictured below.

But the Ides of March has yet another significance for Shahrzad and I. This year, the ides of March will mark our fourth anniversary. We are planning a dinner at a fancy place in downtown Scottsdale. To my beloved Shahrzad: I love you... And, yep! That is what we looked like 4 years ago!

30 Years Apart

I was recently pondering on the two pictures posted below. They have been taken thirty years apart in Tehran University. Which one do you think is the most recent? Hint: People did not have mobile phones 30 years ago!

Happy Ayyam-i-Ha!

The name Ayyam-i-Ha, or literally the Days of the letter H, signifies the so called intercalary days within the B.E. Calendar. this calendar has 19 months, each 19 days, making 361 days. The remaining 4 days (or 5 days in leap years) are designated as days of good cheer and celebration:
"It behoveth the people of Baha, throughout these days, to provide good cheer for themselves, their kindred and, beyond them, the poor and needy, and with joy and exultation to hail and glorify their Lord, to sing His praise and magnify His Name."

Here are a couple of greetings I have made in the past years in honor of this momentous occasion:

Yee-Haw for Dallas, TX!

In Dallas, I had a blast with some of my best friends, Deb, Maulik, and Pedram (in alphabetical order!) A trip to SpeedZone tested the limits of the centripetal force, a visit to the Galleria Mall netted a few new shirts from Zara, and finally, a visit to the newest Persian restaurant, Shandiz, resulted in significant GI distress. Here are some pictures for your enjoyment.

Devotional

In observation of World Religion Day, we had a devotional gathering at our home last weekend that was well attended by several Scottsdale and Cave Creek friends. Many readings from scriptures of different world religions were recited. Shahrzad did a splendid job picking poetry, prose, and prayers. Here is a picture from the event at the brunch table in the kitchen!

Two Birthdays and an Anniversary!

Shahrzad and Babak celebrated their ninth anniversary, Shahrzad celebrated yet another birthday (I have lost count), and my beloved mother-in-law blew the candles on a delicious ice-cream cake at the Mehrdad and baharak's home. Family reunions of this magnitude are indeed very special and are to be cherished. As the Blessed Beauty says in the Hidden Words, "...Seize thy chance, for it will come to thee no more. "

Happy 2007!

I feel bad for the waste management services of New York city that had to clean up the strewn 3.5 tons of confetti the revelers at Time Square littered in the spirit of the new year. If the spirit at the time of the new year will set the tone for the rest of the year, 2007 will prove at best to be a "trashy" year!

This holiday season, our home has been blessed by the presence of many guests and family. We had a reunion of historic proportions. Attached, you may find some pictures. Hamid's pictures were removed at his request.

Merry ... Mitra!

When looking up Mitra or Mithra, you will come upon the following definition, "In Zoroastrianism, Mithra is a protector of human welfare and a member of the trinity of ahuras, protectors of asha. He appears in the younger Yashts of the Avesta, where he is said "to be as worthy of sacrifice and as worthy of prayer as Ahura Mazda" (Campbell 257)." He is later associated with the Sun and identified as the progeny of the feminine yazata Anahita "the wide-expanding and health-giving". The modern Persian equivalent for Mithra is Mehr.

I recently came upon an article on Iranian.com (http://www.iranian.com/Features/Dec97/Mitra/index.html) that I will quote below. It essentially proposes that the roots of modern day Christmas come from the Persian religion of Mithraism, and that even the decoration of the tree has its roots as far back as 5,000 B.C. It is closely associated with Yalda, the longest night of the year, during which Persians celebrate the conquest of Mehr (represented as Mitra) over darkness, as evidenced by the progressive lengthening of the days beyond then. It is noteworthy to say that Yalda, a Syriac word (ܝܠܕܐ) was imported into the Persian language by the Syriac Christians and means birth (tavalod and meelaad are from the same origin), and it generally refers to Christmas in the Syriac language.

Here is an excerpt from the article:
"Iranians celebrated Yalda and decorated an evergreen tree, the sarve. The sarve (Rocket Juniper - what a name! - also known as the cypress tree), being straight, upright and resistant to the cold weather (symbol of hardship) was thought appropriate, to represent Mitra. The younger girls had their "wishes" symbolically wrapped in colorful silk cloth and hung them on the tree with lots of presents for Mitra, to answer their prayers.

As you may know, Pope Leo in the fourth century, after almost destroying the temple of Mitra (A.D. 376), in his campaign against Mitraism proclaimed the 25th of December as Christ's birthday instead of January 6th, a date, by the way, that is still celebrated by the Eastern Orthodox Church, as well as the Armenians.

Again in the same tradition, Luther, the famous German reformer, in the 18th century (1756, I believe), having learned of the Yalda sarve tree, introduced the Christmas tree to the Germans. As sarves were not much known in Germany, the chosen tree became a genus of pine which was abundant in Europe."

So, next time you see a "Christmas tree" in an iranian home, don't be so quick to jump to any conclusions... May be they are simply celebrating the birth of Mitra!