The Haft Seen is a table arrangement traditionally displayed at Nawruz and it represents nature. Families take great pride in creating a beautiful Haft Seen table, as it embodies both traditional and spiritual values.
Haft is Persian for seven, and the table traditionally has seven symbolic items whose names start with the letter ‘S’, pronounced as "seen":
- Sabzeh: wheat, barley, mung bean, or lentil sprouts grown in a dish. It symbolises rebirth and growth.
- Samanu: wheat germ sweet pudding. It symbolises power and strength.
- Senjed: Persian olive. It symbolises love.
- Sirkeh: vinegar. It symbolises patience.
- Seeb: apple. It symbolises beauty.
- Seer: garlic. It symbolises health and medicine.
- Sumac: crushed spice of sumac berries. It symbolises the sunrise.
Additional items that begin with the letter ‘S’ that are commonly seen on the Haft Seen are:
- Sikkeh: coins, symbolising wealth and prosperity
- Sunbol: hyacinth, symbolising spring's arrival.
- Saat: clock, symbolising time
Other items that don’t begin with ‘S’ but may also be displayed on the Haft Seen table include: a copy of the Holy Qur’an or a book of poetry by the fourteenth-century writer Hafiz (symbol of knowledge); candles (the symbol of enlightenment); mirror (the symbol of self-reflection); decorated eggs (one for each member of the family - the symbol of fertility); a bowl with goldfish (the symbol of progress); a glass bowl of water with an orange floating in it (symbolising the Earth floating in space) and rose water (for its cleansing powers).
Sources: National Museum of Asian Art, Washington
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haft-sin
