Bahman Razani

ESL 100

September 21, 2021

My Lost Tradition 

    In Iran, the new year is the most important celebration. This celebration is called Norooz, and it means new day. The Iranian people believe the earth breathes again on the first day of the Spring. The origin of this celebration is around three thousand B.C. Iranians from all backgrounds and religious beliefs celebrate Norooz, because Norooz is not about a specific religion or city it belongs to all Iranians. During Norooz, the whole country is closed for two weeks, except banks and some companies have to be reopened after five days. Of course since I moved to the United States I haven’t been able to have a real Norooz in my new life.

 

    The atmosphere of Norooz is so unique and amazing. A month before Norooz, people do two things: they clean the entire house and buy new things like clothes and new decorations for the new year. I can do these parts in the United States too, but something is missing. In Iran a week before Norooz, cities and streets are so busy. There are tons of fruit, goldfish, special sweets and flowers ready to sell, and people walk around to buy them. When I was in Iran, I walked in the streets and the smell of the fruits, flowers and fresh sweets reminded me that Norooz was approaching. In addition, before Norooz, there is a big party on the last Tuesday night of the year. People play music, dance and jump on top of the fire to let the sicknesses go out and goodnesses come inside their body. This tradition is called Chahar Shanbeh Soori. Since I came to the U.S, I haven’t been able to have this celebration because in the United States making fire in the street isn’t allowed.

    In Iran, visiting family on this holiday is so important. For the Persian new year, the whole family comes together to pray and wish good luck. For the first lunch in the new year, most Iranians people cook rice with herbs and fried fish, and eat together. This food is called Sabzi Polo Mahi. Another important custom is that the youngest family member has to visit the oldest family as a sign of respect and say happy Norooz and wish luck to them to have an amazing year. My wife and I don't have any family in the United States. We are living in Chicago alone, and we haven’t visited our family in Iran for five years. In the Persian new year I would love to be in Iran and especially be with my family to meet them and hug them for a long time.

    In addition, in Iran most of the people have plans for their thirteen off days on this holiday. Some people visit their family and spend thirteen days off together, and some people have plans to tour other cities in the country as a tourist. They travel to these cities, so they can learn about their culture and taste their traditional foods. In the United States, my wife and I don’t have a day off for the Persian new year, so I can’t make plans like visiting our family or traveling to other cities like back home. I have to stay home, and also most of the time I have to work on the actual holiday, because most of the time I can’t afford to take a day off.

 

    Regardless of how my wife and I have tried to celebrate Norooz, it just hasn’t felt the same. Norooz is the time of the year that everyone waits for it to arrive. Norooz is not just cooking special food or cleaning up the entire house. Norooz is about being together, seeing the excitement of people in the bazaar and preparing for the best time of the year. I can facetime with my family to say happy Norooz to them, but that is not like being there in Iran with them. Therefore, since I immigrated to the United States, I feel like I have lost a big part of my culture.