PATCH PICKS: Persian New Year—Nowruz—This Weekend

After the revelry of  it's time to celebrate a new year in the Persian community this Sunday.

In Iran and in the Persian (Iranian) communities, Nowruz, or Persian New Year, is a 13-day festival that marks the end of winter. During this time, families share in the preparations of special meals, decorate and clean the house to celebrate the arrival of spring. It's traditional to display an elaborately decorated haft-sin table or “Table of the Seven S’s.”

The Table of the Seven S’s has to do with seven traditional items placed on the celebratory table that start with "s." These are the items and what they represent:

Senjed: dried fruit of the oleaster tree, a berry native to the region (love).

Sir: garlic (protection from illness and evil).

Serkeh: vinegar (longevity and patience).

Sonbol: hyacinth flower (blossoming spring).

Sekkeh: coins (prosperity).

Sabzeh: green wheat sprouts or grass (abundance).

Samanu: sweet pudding (sweetness of life).

Somaq: sumac berries (a new dawn).

Sib: apples (beauty and health). 

Additional items can be used to substitute any missing ones, and some variation in the list has taken place over the centuries. 

In addition, a bowl of orange goldfish is said to bring good luck, and painted eggs are a symbol of new life. 

, our local Persian market, is a great place to capture the essence of this event. Walk in the door, and you will immediately feel springtime when you see the row of multicolored sonbol (hyacinth flowers). There you’ll be greeted with signs bearing good wishes to all throughout the store.

Look around a bit, and you’ll see the haft-sin table populated with the symbolic seven that represent good fortune for the new year. Clearly displayed are beautiful painted eggs and abundant orange goldfish in a tank, ready to be given out.    

“We give goldfish to our customers as they leave to wish them good luck,” says Ebrahim (Ebi) Nasiri, the store’s manager.

If you wish to serve Persian food to celebrate and entertain this New Year or if you wish to try something different with the family, Rose International Market offers catering as well as delicious hot, prepared dishes from its kitchen and grill. The traditional New Year’s dinner includes fish, rice, fresh greens, yogurt and a noodle soup.

“Families visit parents, relatives and friends during the New Year celebrations,” explained Nasiri. "They eat snacks such as cookies, nuts and tea, at each place visited."

Mini Review:

After sampling some of the hot Persian dishes from the steam table and from the grill, I sum it up this way—intriguing, exotic, smooth and easy on the taste-buds. From the sampling, I had polo–a basmati rice with saffron; ghormeh sabzi–beef, herbs and vegetables; ghaimeh–yellow splitpeas, beef, tomato sauce and lime; tah chin–baked basmati rice with yogurt, eggs, saffron with chicken; baba ganoosh—eggplant garlic, spices with whey and mint; and charbroiled chicken marinated in saffron and spices. All were savory and very much enjoyable.

Rose International Market is at 1060 Castro St. Telephone: 650-960-1900.

is a cozy neighborhood restaurant that serves authentic Iranian (Persian) cuisine at 1414 W. El Camino Real. Telephone: 650-988-8895.

• in Cupertino will have three days of traditional dining celebrations for Nowruz this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Featured dishes: Chicken Kebab, Koobideh Kebab, Lamb Shank and chef’s special dessert. Three and Four-course dinners at $39 and $49 with belly dancing, a live band or DJ on different days. Click here for more specific information and to make reservations. 19930 Stevens Creed Blvd., Cupertino.  Telephone: 408-996-9606.

• Huff Multicultural Event—Persian New Year on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Featuring Persian dancing, a DJ, spring and egg decorating art for the children, balloons, food and drinks. 253 Martens Ave. Telephone: 650-526-3490.  

Happy Nowruz!