So many interesting holidays. So little time.
Nowruz, the Persian New Year, was celebrated on March 21, the Spring Equinox. With spring just “springing” here in Southern California, this is a belated nod to that celebration.
Nowruz has been celebrated for more than 3000 years. To celebrate, people gather with friends, exchange gifts, feast, recite poetry, ritually jump over fire. (The fire ritual is meant to symbolically burn away the negativity of the previous year. )
For the young at heart, here is a Disney Junior video aimed at helping children understand and celebrate Nowruz: Nowruz.
For those with a love of poetry, here is a century Nowruz poem, Bani Adam, by Persian poet Sa’adi Shirazi. The poem celebrates the unity of mankind. Seems like we could use a little of that right now.
Human beings are members of a whole,
since in their creation they are of one essence.
When the conditions of the time brings a member (limb) to pain,
the other members (limbs) will suffer from discomfort.
You, who are indifferent to the misery of others,
it is not fitting that they should call you a human being.
Interestingly, a Persian carpet hangs on the wall of the U.N. bearing this quotation.
For those with a love of sweets, here is a great Persian Walnut Cookie, a nan-e gerudi. The original recipe was posted on the King Arthur Baking Site here.
Persian Walnut Cookies
Ingredients
- 2/3 C. all-purpose flour
- 1/4 C. white rice flour
- 1 1/3 C. walnuts
- 1/2 t. cardamom
- 8 T. unsalted butter (softened)
- 1/4 t. salt
- 3/4 C. powdered sugar (sifted)
- 1/2 t. rose water
- 5 T. ground pistachios
Directions
- Step 1 Process flour, rice flour and walnuts in a food processor. You want to process the mixture until the walnuts are a fine powder.
- Step 2 Add cardamom to the flour mixture.
- Step 3 Using your stand mixer and the paddle attachment, beat the butter, salt and powdered sugar in the bowl of the mixer until the butter mixture is fluffy. This will take about 3 or 4 minutes. Add the rose water to the butter mixture and mix to thoroughly combine.
- Step 4 Add the flour/walnut mixture to the butter mixture in two additions, mixing well after each addition. Scoop this mixture into a bowl and chill in your refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Step 5 Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a cookie sheet by lining it with parchment.
- Step 6 Scoop cookie dough out of the bowl in teaspoon quantities and place on the prepared cookie sheet. Your cookies will spread a bit as they cook, so space the dough balls about 2 inches apart. Lightly flatten the dough balls. Top each dough ball with ground pistachios.
- Step 7 Bake cookies at 400 degrees F. for between 12 and 14 minutes. You need to watch these cookies. Your cookies are done when the dough is firm, but you don’t want them to get brown–even around the edges.
- Step 8 Remove baked cookies from the oven and cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Remove them from the pan and continue to cool completely.
