Happy Norooz 2018!

Yesterday saw the Persian New Year (“Norooz”) welcomed in by hundreds of thousands of people around the world. Norooz  (No = new Rooz = day) is a celebratory day largely observed by Middle Eastern, and Central and South Asian communities. It is usually spent visiting friends and relatives, exchanging festive greetings, gifts and good wishes.

To mark the occasion staff and students created a “Haft-Seen” display in our Starkey Gallery. Haft-Seen is a table-top arrangement of seven symbolic items traditionally displayed to mark the New Year and the first day of Spring. The setting includes seven items starting with the letter S in the Persian alphabet. Every item in Haft seen is a symbol from of things such as Regeneracy, Fertility, Abundance, Wealth.

Typically, before the arrival of Norooz, family members gather around a table, with the Haft Seen set on it, and await the exact moment of the March equinox to celebrate the New Year.

We would like to wish everyone a Happy Norooz 2018!