Happy Nowruz in Persian (Farsi): Greetings

Nowruz is the Persian new year, and it has three everyday greetings. Nowruz mobarak means happy Nowruz, and literally it is Nowruz, blessed. Sal-e no mobarak means happy new year: Sal is year, no is new, and mobarak is blessed. Eidet mobarak means happy holiday to you, where Eid is festival and the ending -et means your.

They are interchangeable, and which one you hear depends on the family and the moment. A friend might text Nowruz mobarak, a grandmother might say Sal-e no mobarak at the door, and a cousin might hug you and say Eidet mobarak. You can use any of the three without a mistake.

Say each word slowly and evenly. Mobarak has the stress at the end, mo-baa-RAK, and it is the word that carries the wish in every Persian celebration, from birthdays to weddings.

Nowruz starts at the spring equinox, the moment the sun crosses the equator and the days begin to outlast the nights. In 2027 that is on March 20, late that night in Tehran, so the first day of the Persian year, Farvardin 1, falls on March 21 in Iran. Many families abroad celebrate on March 20, and some celebrate both days. Check an Iranian calendar for the exact moment in your time zone.

People say the greetings from the first minute of the new year, and they keep saying them for the next couple of weeks, to everyone they meet. The festival runs for thirteen days, and the thirteenth, Sizdah Bedar, is the day families go outdoors for a picnic. The Tuesday evening before the last Wednesday of the year is Chaharshanbe Suri, the fire night, which opens the season.

The greetings are for anyone. You can say them to a coworker, a neighbor or a stranger at a market, and you will almost always get a bright reply. The holiday is a spring festival of the new year, celebrated by many communities across the region and not tied to one religion, so it is a gift to give to anyone.

The polite reply repeats the greeting and sends it back. Someone says Sal-e no mobarak, and you say Shoma ham mobarak, which means the same to you. With a friend or a younger relative, drop to the friendly you: To ham mobarak. Another quick answer is Mobarak bashe, may it be blessed.

Reply warmly and a little loudly. This is a holiday and an exchange of wishes can be as long as you like, with the hugs, the kisses on the cheek and a few repeats of the same words. It is not rude to say the same thing three times.

The centerpiece of Nowruz is the haft-sin table. Haft is seven and sin is the Persian letter that makes the s sound, so the table holds seven things whose names begin with s. The usual seven are sabzeh, sprouted wheat or lentils; samanu, a sweet wheat pudding; senjed, the dried fruit of the oleaster tree; sir, garlic; sib, apple; somagh, sumac; and serkeh, vinegar.

Each one is said to stand for something good for the year ahead: rebirth for the sprouts, sweetness and plenty for the pudding, love for the dried fruit, health for the garlic, beauty and health for the apple, the color of sunrise for the sumac and patience for the vinegar. Many tables also hold a mirror, candles, painted eggs, coins and a book of poetry, and some add a hyacinth.

The exact items vary a little by family, so say usually when you describe it. The table is set before the new year begins and stays until Sizdah Bedar.

Eidi is the Nowruz gift, traditionally money, given by elders to children and young people over the holiday, and often in crisp new bills. A child who has just said Sal-e no mobarak to a grandparent may get a little envelope in return. It is not a payment for the greeting, just part of how the day goes.

As a learner you can ask what the family does about eidi, and people will be glad to explain. The custom has regional variations, and some families give a coin, a book or a sweet.

Nowruz is a season of visits. The custom is that the younger people visit the elders first, and the elders return the visit a few days later. So on the first or second day you put on something nice, bring sweets or fruit, and arrive at your grandparents' door.

You say Sal-e no mobarak, Maman Bozorg, and give her a hug. She says Mobarak bashe, azizam, and asks you to come in. You sit by the haft-sin, someone brings tea and sweets, and the same greeting happens again with each new person who walks in. If you stay for tea, taarof will be in the air, so accept the second offer. The visit is not long, usually an hour or two, and then you move on to the next house.