Spring is just around the corner and that has many across the Tri-Cities stocking up on goldfish, mirrors, hyacinths and potted grass as they prepare to party like it's 1390.
On March 20, Persian Canadians including Reza Rismani of Port Coquitlam will celebrate the first day of the Persian New Year and bid farewell to the '80s.
That is the 1380s as the modern Persian calendar begins in the year AD 622, when the prophet Mohammed is said to have journeyed from Mecca to Medina.
Literally translated from the Farsi language meaning, "New Day," Noruz, like new-year celebrations in most cultures, is a festival of food, friends and family.
It also has some unique traditions that set it apart; most importantly, a table set with the "seven S's," said Rismani: "Sib, somac, serke, samanoo, sabzi, sonbol and seke," translate respectively into: apples, sumac (a shrub), vinegar, wheat extract, green grass, hyacinths and gold coins, Rismani said. The precise symbolism of each object can vary depending whom you ask but together the seven items represent nourishment, new life and prosperity.
"And then, of course, you always have water and a holy book - whether the Bible or Qur'an - and a mirror," which, Rismani explained, represents self-awareness and reflection on the past.
Add a live goldfish in a bowl of clear water to represent movement through life and all that's left is to wait and watch for the spring equinox.
When The Tri-City News caught up with Rismani in PoCo's Kandoo Restaurant and Bakery, which he has owned and operated in Shaughnessy Square for more than six years, he was busy making preparations to bring in the requisite grasses, flowers, spices and baked goods that customers are already looking for at his restaurant and grocery.
Clearing space among the bins of chickpea cookies, pistachios, figs and flour for the seasonal arrivals, Rismani said his shop is providing not only all of the food for this weekend's Tri-Cities Noruz party at the Evergreen Cultural Centre but for official festivities at Simon Fraser University, the University of BC and the Canadian Iranian Foundation as well.
And while North Vancouver is still home to Metro Vancouver's largest population of Persians - which includes not just Iranians but some Armenians, Turks, Georgians, Uzbeks, Azerbaijanis and Afghans, as well - more and more Persians are now choosing to live in the this area, he said. "Coquitlam's a very multicultural city. Once some people come and they are welcomed, then more keep coming."
