Nowruz 2568 (1388) will begin on:
با شادباش نوروز - تحويل سال نو تحويل سال نو ۲۵۶۸ - ساعت ۲ و ۱۷ دقيقه
و ۳۰ ثانيه بعد از ظهر جمعه اول فروردين ۱۳۸۸
در ايران
On the thirteenth day of the new year, which also marks the end of the Nowrooz break for the school children,
families leave their houses and head for the outdoors where they eat, play games, and celebrate a happy and
healthy holiday season.
This tradition is called Seezdah Bedar (seezdah means thirteen) which in English translates to "getting rid of
thirteen". This fun and exciting outing involves all family members and is intended to end the holiday season on a
relaxing and positive note. The concept of avoiding the number thirteen is mainly to symbolize the will and
power to deal with all evil in the new year.
The two weeks long NoRooz celebration ends with SeezDeh Bedar. SeezDeh means
Thirteen and SeezDeh Bedar is the process of getting over with or passing over
the thirteenth day of the New Year. (Some believe 13 being an unlucky number)
This day is usually celebrated outdoor in a picnic style. This is the last
day of New Year celebration and life will return to normal
the following day. Schools will open, shops will start on their regular
hours and offices and Government agencies are back in normal operation.
So, this is the last chance to spend some time with family and friends and
enjoy the fresh smell of Spring.
Sizdah-Bedar is also believed to be a special day to ask for rain. In ancient Iran, every day had its own
name, and belonged to a different angel. The 13th of Farvardin belonged to the angel of rain.
This angel is depicted as a horse. Sizdah-Bedar is also a day for competitive games. Games involving horses
were often chosen as a victory of a horse represented , the angle of rain.
On this day, girls & boys tie a knot with grass and make wishes perhaps for a husband
or wife. When the knot is opened (it is beleived that) their
luck will open and their wishes will come true.
Newly weds also tie a grass knot making wishes for a baby, a house, or whatever
is on their Have-To-Have list.
Hey Shiva, Do you think we'll ever find a husband?
Lisa june, I am having hard enough time with my pre-kindergarten.
Another version of this tradition states that - on the 13th day of new year, in the hope of finding a husband,
unmarried girls tie a knot with blades of grass and make a wish for a good husband before the next sizdeh-Bedar.
The knotting of the grass represents the bondage of a man and a woman. These days, girls sing this song while knotting:
" Sizdah-Bedar sal-e deegar khooneh shoohar, bacheh baghal"
which translates to: "Next Sizdah-Bedar, in my husband's home, holding a baby"!
An interesting ritual performed at the end of the picnic day is to throw away the Sabzee from the Nowrooz
Haft Seen table. The sabzee is supposed to have collected all the sickness, pain and ill fate hiding on the path of
the family throughout the coming year! Touching someone else's sabzee on this thirteenth day or bringing it
home is therefore not a good idea and may result in absorbing their pain and hardship.
On the thirteenth day of the new year, which also marks the end of the Nowrooz break for the school children,
families leave their houses and head for the outdoors where they eat, play games, and celebrate a happy and
healthy holiday season.
An interesting ritual performed at the end of the picnic day is to throw away the Sabzee from the Nowrooz
Haft Seen table. The sabzee is supposed to have collected all the sickness, pain and ill fate hiding on the path of
the family throughout the coming year! Touching someone else's sabzee on this thirteenth day or bringing it
home is therefore not a good idea and may result in absorbing their pain and hardship.
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