Haft-sin

a haft-seen table in Piranshahr, Kurdistan Province, Iran

The following are the primary items of Haft-sin, whose Persian names begin with the letter sin in the Persian alphabet.[1][2]

1. Sabzeh (سبزه) – wheat, barley, mung bean, or lentil sprouts grown in a dish.
2. Samanu (سمنو) – wheat germ sweet pudding.
3. Senjed (سنجد) – Oleaster
4. Serkeh (سرکه) – vinegar.
5. Seeb (سیب) – apple.
6. Seer (سیر) – garlic.

Senjed

Sonbol

Somāq for sale in Turkey.

Coins (سکه sekke), hyacinth (سنبل sombol), and clock (ساعت suat also pronounced so-at) are sometimes included too. Other symbolic items that are typically used to accompany Haft-sin include a mirror, candles, painted eggs, goldfish, and traditional Persian confections.

A "book of wisdom" is also commonly included, which might be the Quran, Avesta, the Shahnameh, or the Divān of Hafez.[1]

The Haft-Seen table represents nature. By tradition, Iranian families take great pains to create the most beautiful Haft-Seen table that they can, for not only does it embody values both traditional and spiritual, it is also appreciated by the visitors during Nowruz visiting exchanges as a reflection of the families' aesthetic sense and good taste.

Items that start with Persian letter "س":

• Sabzeh (سبزه): Sprouting /Grass: the symbol of rebirth and growth.
• Samanu (سمنو): the symbol of power and strength.
• Senjed (سنجد): the symbol of love.
• Somāq (سماق): Sumac: the symbol of sunrise.
• Serkeh (سرکه): Vinegar: the symbol of patience.
• Seeb (سیب): Apple: the symbol of beauty.
• Seer (سیر): Garlic: the symbol of health and medicine.

Other items that start with Persian letter "س" that are sometimes included:

• Sonbol (سنبل): Hyacinth: the symbol of spring's arrival.
• Sekkeh (سکه): Coin: the symbol of wealth and prosperity.
• Saat (ساعت): Clock: the symbol of time.

Items that don't start with "س" but, nonetheless, are invariably included:

• Tokhm-e Morg Rangi (تخم‌مرغ رنگی): Eggs: the symbol of fertility.
• Ayina (آینه): Mirror: the symbol of self-reflection.
• Shem'a (شمع): Candle: the symbol of enlightenment.
• Maahi-ye Qırmız (ماهی قرمز): Goldfish: the symbol of progress.
• Ketaab (کتاب): Book: the symbol of wisdom.

In Afghanistan, people prepare Haft Mēwa (Persian: هفت‌میوه) (literally translates as Seven Fruits) in addition to or instead of Haft Seen which is common in Iran. Haft Mewa is like a fruit salad made from seven different dried fruits, served in their own syrup. The seven dried fruits are: raisins, Senjed (the dried fruit of the oleaster tree), pistachios, hazelnuts, prunes (dried apricots), walnuts and either almonds or another species of plum fruit.[3][4]

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  Wheatgrass, one of the items of Haft-sin.
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  A bowl of samanu, one of the items of Haft-sin.
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  Goldfish, one of the items of Haft-sin.
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  A Haft-sin table at the White House.
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  A Haft-sin table at a hotel in Bijar, Kurdistan.
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  A Haft-sin table at Sharif University of Technology.
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  A Haft-sin table.
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  A Haft-sin table.
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  A Haft-sin table.
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  A Haft-sin table.
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  A Haft-sin table.
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  Haft Mewa
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  A Haft-sin table.
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  A Haft-sin table.
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  A Haft-sin table.
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  Haft Mewa

• Passover Seder plate, an aesthetically similar (except for its element of animal sacrifice, a practice strictly banned by Zoroastrians) display for the Jewish holiday of Passover.
• Twelve-dish Christmas Eve supper

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Haft-Seen.

• Shahbazi, A. Shapur (March 1, 2012). "HAFT SIN". Encyclopaedia Iranica. Vol. XI. pp. 524–526.