AMOO NOROOZ
vida
philEvery year on the first day of Spring, Amoo Norooz
walkd to the city w/a cane in his hand.
He wore a felt hat…
Vida
Philhis hair & beard dyed w/henna…
Vida
Philwearing a blue sash
Vida
Philshoes made of heavy cotton yarn
Vida
vida
philOutside th gates of th city lay a small beautiful garden. Every kind of fruit th heart desired cld be found in this garden. & every year, at th beginning of Spring, pink and white blossoms coverd the branches on th trees!
philTh owner of this garden was a cheerful old woman w/gray hair. Th old woman liked Amoo Norooz very much. Each year on th first day of Spring, she woke up early in th morning, washd her hands & face, & said her morning prayers. [pause for vida’s prayrs]
She then brought out her pretty silken rug & spread it out on th veranda. All round the garden’s edge were plantd seven bushes of flowers of seven different colors:
Narcissus:vida
Marigold:vida
Pansy:vida
Red Rose:vida
Tulip:vida
Iris:vida
Morning Glory:vida
[vidato teach the kids the names of 3 flowesr in Persian]
philIn front of th garden was a tiled pool. A few fish of different colors swam playfully in th pool.
vida
philTh old woman turnd on th fountain tht flowd frm the middle of th pool. Th fountain sprinkled sparklng drops of water which covered th flowers and the bushes in th garden. Then she brought out her silver-rimmed mirror and sat down on th rug. She combd and braided her hair…
vida
phil…darkend her eyelashes w/mascara…
vida
phil…and rubbd rouge on her cheeks.
vida
philThen, she sprayd rose water on her hair and lit a stick of Aloe’s wood.
philThen, she lit a fire, placd a velvet pouch of incense next to it, and brought out th water pipe. In the crystal vase of th water pipe, she laid a few rose petals.
In several crystal dishes, she arranged seven different kinds of cookies, candies and sweets, and laid them down beside th [hahf-SEEN], a tray containing seven different kinds of foods whose names all began with th letter “S”.
[vida to take Haft seen to the kids]
Sabzeh: is wheat or lentil sprouts and represents rebirth…
Sonbole: Hyacinth, represents the aroma of young life…
Senjed: is a very special dried fruit, it symbolizes fertility…
Seer: or garlic, keeps all the diseases away…
Serkeh: is vinegar, it disinfects the insides…
Samanoo: is malted wheat sprouts and symbolizes rebirth…
Sekeh: or gold coins, is to celebrate the year’s successes and prosperity
philFinally she sat on th rug to wait for Amoo Norooz to arrive.
Slowly, th old woman’s eyelids grew heavy, and she started to doze. Soon she was asleep, draming about meeting Amoo Norooz. Th very moment the old woman fell asleep, Amoo Norooz entered the garden! He saw her asleep and smiling in her dreams.
vida
philAmoo Norooz did not have th heart to awaken her. Instead, he pickd a marigold frm th garden and gently tuckd it into th old woman’s gray hair.
VIDAThen he took a NARENJ from the tray and cut it in half with a knife. One-half he ate with some sugar and water, and the other half he left for me.
He took out some ESFAND from the velvet pouch and burned it in the fire. The pieces of the ESFANDburned TARGH-TOOROOGH, filling the air with a sweet smell. Using a few red-hot coals, he lit the GHELYOON. After a few puffs, he got up and left the garden to take the New Year to the city.
phil & vida“Aiy-day-show-MAH, moh-bah-RAC”
philThe sun slowly rose above the treetops, filling the garden and reaching the veranda. It shone on the old woman’s face, waking her up. She rubbed her eyes, saw the half-eaten [gnaw-ANJ] that Amoo Norooz had left behind, smelled the [ess-FANND].
vida
phil“I have missed him again!”, “the year has
changed but I did not see Amoo Norooz because
I fell asleep again!”
philShe raised her hand to her hair and found a marigold tucked under her scarf.
Vida
phil“Now I must wait another full year!” she exclaimed. And the old woman would wait another year until winter was gone, and Amoo Norooz would arrive, along with the Spring wind.
No one knows whether the old woman ever saw Amoo Norooze! Perhaps one Spring, she will remain awake and meet him at last. Then, she will be as fresh and young as Spring itself and take along Spring into th city with Amoo Norooz.
Eyde shoma Mobarak!!!
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