Naw Ruz literally translates to - New Day. It's the first day of Spring. It's the last day of the Baha'i Fast. I prepared 19 days for this new day to arrive. I thought long and hard, I abstained from food and drink from sun up to sun down, I prayed, I reflected, I made new choices that give action to my reflections. A new day.
When I was little, this day was filled with gifts. Literally. Days before Naw Ruz, my mom, sister, and I would set the "haft seen" (the decorative symbolic table setting that dates back to ancient Persian tradition). We'd paint eggs and decorate the table with them. We'd buy goldfish, we'd fill the house with flowers. And the dining room table would slowly begin to overflow with gifts from everyone and to everyone. The whole family would gather together and we'd eat the traditional sabzi polo and mahi, and after lunch all the kids would rush towards the gifts and the whole house turned into a wrapping paper wonderland. Close to thirty two family members would gather around as they oohed and aahed at the gifts everyone opened. Then it was time for the money. As is customary, the oldest member of the family (my Grandmother) would pass out crisp bills- $20 for the older grandchildren, $10 for the younger. One by one she'd call us up and we'd rush to get the cash and give the obligatory kisses, one on each cheek.
This was my favorite day. And although now I live strewn far from my family, each celebrating in their own part of the globe, I know that in our own ways we celebrated this day thinking of one another. It truly is a a renewal of spirit. A new day.
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