Khaneh Tekani – Spring Cleaning

Noruz (new year, or more literally “new day”) is the most important celebration for Iranians. Perhaps the first step in preparing for Noruz or Now-Ruz, the Persian New Year, is Khaneh Tekani, the annual house cleaning or the spring-cleaning. In ancient times, Iranians believed that spirits of their deceased families and friends would come to visit their descendants and their homes.

Chahar

 Shanbeh Suri – red wednesday Bonfire Festival

On the eve of the Wednesday before Norooz, the Iranians celebrate Chahar Shanbeh Suri. This is commonly known as the Wednesday Feast or the Festival of the last Wednesday as it is always celebrated on the eve of the last Wednesday of the year. The word Chahar Shanbeh means Wednesday and Suri is red.

The festivities start in the early evening. Children and fun seeking adults, wrap themselves in white sheets or costumes reenacting visits by the departed spirits. They run through the streets banging on pots and pans with spoons. This is called Gashog-Zani or spoon banging and ushers out the last unlucky Wednesday of the year. They also go to their neighbors, knock on doors and ask for treats, a tradition very similar to Halloween. The main event of Chahar-Shanbeh Suri is the setting of seven little fires consisting of dried bushes and shrubs, which are placed on the ground. Adults and children alike gather to jump over the flames to sing, and celebrate the renewal of life. While jumping the flames, the person chants “Sorkhi-e to az man. Zardi-e man az to.” The literal translation is, “Your fiery red color is mine and my sickly yellow paleness is yours.” Loosely translated, this means you want the fire to take your paleness, sickness and problems and in turn give you redness, warmth and energy. There is no religious significance attached to Chahar Shanbeh Suri and it serves as a cultural festival for all Iranian Jews, Moslems, Armenians, Turks and Zoroastrians alike.

Norooz History – New Years Roots

The word Norooz meaning New Day, is the most anticipated and favorite celebration for Iranians. It occurs exactly on the Spring Equinox. This occasion has been renowned in one form or another by all the major cultures of ancient Mesopotamia. Sumerians, 3000 BC, Babylonians, the ancient kingdom of Elam in Southern Persia and Akaddians in the second millennium BC, all celebrated this festival. What we celebrate today as Norooz has been around for at least 3000 years and is deeply rooted in the rituals and traditions of the Zoroastrians of the Sassanian period.

The concepts of Hell, Heaven, Resurrection, the coming of the Messiah, individual and last judgment are the foundation for the Zoroastrian belief system and still exist in Judeo-Christian and Islamic traditions. In their ancient text, ‘Bundahishn’ foundation of creation, it is said that The Lord of Wisdom (Ahura Mazda) residing in the eternal light was not God. He created all that was good and became God. The Hostile Spirit, Angra Mainyu (Ahriman), residing in the eternal darkness created all that was evil and became the Hostile Spirit. Everything that produced life, protected and enriched it was regarded as good. This included all forces of nature beneficial to humans. Earth, waters, sky, animals, plants, justice, honesty, peace, health, beauty, joy and happiness were regarded as belonging to the good forces. All that threatened life and created disorder belonged to the hostile spirits.

The next creation was the material world, created at seven different stages. The first creation was the sky, and the second was the first ocean. Earth, a big flat dish sitting on the ocean, was the third. The next three creations were the first plant, the first animal a bull and the first human Gayo-maretan (Kiomarth, both male and female). The seventh creation was fire together with the sun.

To protect his creations the Lord of Wisdom created six holy immortals known as ‘Amesha Spenta’. The first three were male deities. Khashtra (Sharivar), the protector of sky; Asha-Vahishta (Ordibehesht) and Vahu Manah (Bahman) protected fire and animals. The other three were female deities: Haurvatat (Khordad) to protect water, Spenta Armaiti (Esfand) protector of mother earth and Ameratat (Amoordad) for plant life. Ahura Mazda became the protector of humans and the holy fire. The six immortals are the names of six of the months in the current Iranian calendar. To begin the cycle life, the plant produced seeds; the bull produced all animals and from the human came the first male and female. The rest of the humanity was created from their union. This was called the first No Ruz, meaning new day and the beginning of the cycle of life. It starts at the beginning of spring and the seven creations are remembered and embraced through the Iranian New Year spread called Sofreh Haft Sin. Norooz is celebrated for 13 days after the mark of spring equinox.

Sal Tahvil – New Year’s Times

The Sal Tahvil or the Sa’at-e Tahvil is New Year’s Eve, which is the official time for the Spring Equinox. Every year the equinox occurs at a different point in time, so the date, although accurately measured (to the date and time) is different each year, but close to March 20th.

Sa’at- tahvil is an important moment, as it is a time for forgiving each other, putting away petty differences and looking forward to building more constructive relationships. The countdown is often followed carefully on the radio or television, as the family gathers around the haft sin, in their new clothes, carefully watching the egg or preparing to take a picture of the Sal Tahvil.

As the countdown ushers in the new year, everyone rejoices, kiss each other, exchanging Norooz greetings such as “Eid-i shoma mobarak!”or “Sal-e No Mobarak!” which means Happy New Year. Gifts, usually money called Eidi, placed inside the Koran are exchanged, given by older members to the younger members of the family. Members of the family then celebrate by singing, eating, drinking and taking pictures. After the family has celebrated, the next 13 days are spent visiting the families.

Sofreh Haft Sin – The Seven S’s of the New Year

A few days before the arrival of Nowruz, a rather large table cloth is spread on the floor of the main room of the house and the following items are placed on it:

Lighted candles, which represent the goodness and warmth that enters life with the coming of spring and the dissipation of evil that has had the world in its cold grip, are placed on the sofreh. In a large setting, an open fire would replace the candles. The number of the candles must be the same as the number of the offspring in the household. Often an egg accompanies each candle. It should be mentioned that the candles on displays must be allowed to burn themselves out. It is bad luck to blow out a candle. A copy of al-Qur’an (holy book of the Muslims) or the Avesta (holy book of the Zoroastrians) or the Bible or the Torah (depending on the faith to which the family belongs) is placed in a prominent place on the sofreh. The holy scripture refreshes the bond between the faithful and the source of good emanating from the light. Haftsin or seven edible things the names of which in Persian begin with the letter “sin” or “s” are placed in a tray or otherwise placed next to each other on the sofreh. Sib (apple), somaq (sumac), sir (garlic), samanu (a paste made with wheat sprouts), senjed (jujube fruit), sohan (a candy made with honey and nuts), siyahdane (sesame seeds), serke (vinegar), and sangak (bread baked on a bed of rocks) are the usual edible items from among which seven are chosen. Since the edible items on the haft-sin are not to be eaten until after the change of seasons, often non-edibles such as sekke (coins), sonbol (hyacinth), spand (the wild rue), sepestan (sebestens), samovar (samovar), or sabzeh (wheat or lentil sprouts) are substituted. The seven “sin”s symbolically recall Ahura Mazda and the six Amesha Spentas who help him regulate the affairs of man according to the “din” or order prescribed by Ahura Mazda’s Ahuric Order. It should be added that today the seven “sin”s are interpreted rather differently, as the following example illustrates:

Needless to say, these interpretations are not sanctioned by any particular authority or based on any overall analysis of the theological and/or cosmological values that ancient Iranians might have had for them. What else can be an apt interpretation of sekke (coin) in this context but affluence, wealth, and prosperity? Ironically, this is one of the “s’s” that comes into fruition right after the tahvil-i sal. The coins which equal the number of family members, are distributed among the members by the family patriarch (grandfather or father).

Iranian cuisine or Persian cuisine is one of the world’s most ancient and developed style of cooking. Situated between the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian subcontinent, Iranian cuisine has a shared history and ingredients with Mediterranean cuisine and Iraqi cuisine.

It includes a wide variety of foods ranging from chelo kabab (rice served with roasted meat: barg, koobideh, joojeh, shishleek, soltani, chenjeh), khoresht (stew that is served with white basmati or Iranian rice: ghormeh sabzi, gheimeh, and others), aash (a thick soup: for example Ash-e anar), kookoo (vegetable Souffle), polo (white rice alone or with addition of meat and/or vegetables and herbs, including loobia polo, albaloo polo, Sabzi polo, zereshk polo, Baghali Polo and others), and a diverse variety of salads, pastries, and drinks specific to different parts of Iran. The list of Persian recipes, appetizers and desserts is extensive.

Fresh green herbs are frequently used along with fruits such as plums, pomegranates, quince, prunes, apricots, and raisins. Typical Persian main dishes are combination of rice with meat, lamb, chicken, or fish and some onion, vegetables, nuts, and herbs. To achieve a balanced taste, characteristic Persian flavorings such as saffron, dried limes, cinnamon, and parsley are mixed delicately and used in some special dishes.

Welcome to the NEW Shiraz restaurant where our philosophy is to provide our guests with the highest quality food and service. We only use the freshest and the finest quality ingredients from award winning suppliers. The restaurant has been redesigned in a beautiful convivial style in which we believe you will enjoy our wonderful dishes and the warm friendly ambiance. We cater for all events and we provide an exceptionally diverse menu which takes our guests through many regions of Iran representing a plethora of taste and Persian/ Iranian foods. We will present a variety of dishes which will be made as special offerings each month, so you won’t see them on our menu. For all special offers and events please visit our website on www.shirazrestaurant.co.uk or follow us on face book or twitter. We will have live traditional Persian music, representing the whole spectrum of artists and instruments. Our restaurant is full of wonderful surprises which sheds light on the Persian and Iranian cultures. When next you visit us, please take note of the entrance door which has been imported from Iran and is over a hundred years old. On the door you will find two door knockers, the one to the left was traditionally used by male visitors and the one on the right with a ladies hand on it, was used by ladies. Each produces a distinct tone and when used would inform the residents of the presence of either a male or female visitors. The man or the woman of the house would then answer the door according to which knocker was used. The name Shiraz comes from the spectacular historical city of Shiraz now in Iran. This is famed as the city of poets and poetry, intellectuals and fine wine. The world renowned Shiraz wine owes its name and existence to this great region from which the grapes were taken to France and well the rest is history. We hope to have the pleasure of your company here at Shiraz soon where there is unique food, good wines and many more fascinating tales.

Iranian cuisine or Persian cuisine is one of the world’s most ancient and developed style of cooking. Situated between the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian subcontinent, Iranian cuisine has a shared history and ingredients with Mediterranean cuisine and Indian cuisine.
It includes a wide variety of foods ranging from chelo kabab (rice served with roasted meat: barg, koobideh, joojeh, shishleek, soltani, chenjeh), khoresht (stew that is served with white basmati or Iranian rice: ghormeh sabzi, gheimeh, and others), aash (a thick soup: for example Ash-e anar), kookoo (vegetable Souffle), polo (white rice alone or with addition of meat and/or vegetables and herbs, including loobia polo, albaloo polo, Sabzi polo, zereshk polo, Baghali Polo and others), and a diverse variety of salads, pastries, and drinks specific to different parts of Iran. The list of Persian recipes, appetizers and desserts is extensive.
Fresh green herbs are frequently used along with fruits such as plums, pomegranates, quince, prunes, apricots, and raisins. Typical Persian main dishes are combination of rice with meat, lamb, chicken, or fish and some onion, vegetables, nuts, and herbs. To achieve a balanced taste, characteristic Persian flavorings such as saffron, dried limes, cinnamon, and parsley are mixed delicately and used in some special dishes.

The New Shiraz Restaurant is now open and under new management!

Persian cooking is combination of rice with meat, chicken or fish and plenty of garlic, onion, vegetables, nuts, and herbs.

To achieve a delicious taste and a balanced diet, unique Persian spices such as saffron, diced limes, cinnamon, and parsley are mixed delicately.

The Cuisine of Persia influenced cooking all over the world, from the beef dishes of India, to the sweet and sour that graced the tables of Medieval and Renaissance Monarchs.

Come and enjoy our unique cuisine. Beautiful places to eat delicious food.

Hope to see you soon.