I want a second chance to see out the old year 

I don’t know about you, but despite the Christmas and first of Jan New

Year celebrations this year, I still don’t feel as if I have emerged out of the

dark winter months or left behind the Covid-monopolised year that we

have been going through this last 11 months.

I am so ready to shake off

the old stale energies from the year that we are leaving

For this reason I am SO utterly RELIEVED that due to Noruz

(the Persian New Year), I can have a second stab at seeing out

the old year and bringing in the new.

Persian New Year falls on the hour of the Vernal (Spring)

Equinox which this year will be on the 20^th March at 9.37 am

(Universal Time Clock) and is all about shaking out the old

and welcoming in the new.

Seeing out the dark and celebrating in the entrance of the

light. Any negativity from the year we are leaving being

eclipsed by positivity for the new year ahead, the triumph of

light over dark, good over evil and boy! are we ready for that

this year!! 

I love the rituals and customs that are integral to the Persian

New Year because they are all about aligning with Nature

and engaging symbolically with ending the dark Winter

days, clearing out the old and establishing the rebirth of

fertility and abundance in our own lives for the new year

ahead by the celebration of Spring.

New growth, new beginnings, new paths are all celebrated by

the yearly activities that Iranian households engage in for

the Persian New Year. It is said that how you celebrate the

arrival of the New Year will influence your experiences of

that year, so the various customs are important to carry out

for prosperity good health, fresh new paths, fertility and the

fulfillment of aspirations.

So, with this in mind I will be launching my first set of Jilah's

Tiny Kitchen blog posts with  Noruz based recipe over

a 7 day period. The first recipe in this series features Garlic,

Spring Garlic no less! Garlic is one of the seven “haft's” in the

Haft Sin Table so In this Mast-o Khiar recipe I show how

when used raw in a dish, garlic features to act as a flavour

clincher in creating a most delicious yoghurt

accompaniment to many of Iran's delicious dishes. 

Those dishes that are not of a blood cooling nature... (more of

that concept in a blog to come soon on the Ancient custom of

Unani!)

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