With winter transitioning into spring, Iranian families in Chicago and around the world on Friday will celebrate Nowruz, or the Persian new year. This year, the holiday comes at a time when many Iranians in the diaspora are watching events in their homeland with a mixture of hope and uncertainty. Yet, for millennia, from Mongol invasions to modern revolutions, Nowruz has carried a simple message: Despite any turmoil we face now, there will be a future.
That promise is woven into the holiday itself, embodied in the Haft-Seen table, where seven symbolic items, each starting with the Persian letter س (pronounced “seen”), are arranged to mark the new year. Collectively, they symbolize the hopes families hold onto during difficult times: protection, renewal and, most importantly, the beginning of a new day.
Among these items is garlic, known in Persian as seer, which traditionally symbolizes protection against illness but can also broadly represent protection against harm. Its presence on the Haft-Seen table reflects a quiet acknowledgment that the future is never certain. Placing the seer on the table is an act of faith that, despite the uncertainty to come, we continue to hope for the safety and preservation of the lives of those close to us, who give meaning to the year ahead.
Beside it sits sabzeh, a dish of green sprouts that symbolize renewal. Importantly, these plants are grown from seeds planted in the weeks leading up to the new year, requiring patience and attention. Families water them daily, and by the new year, the sprouts have transformed into lush greens (or sabzeh) that signal the arrival of spring.
Next comes the sumac, a deep red spice whose color symbolizes the eventual return of the sunrise, reminding us that even after the longest winter night, spring’s light will eventually reappear. That belief that darkness is temporary and renewal is inevitable is at the core of Nowruz itself.
The endurance of Nowruz over 3,000 years of Iranian history is no coincidence. Originating as an ancient Zoroastrian festival, it predates modern nation-states, political ideologies and the many empires that have risen and fallen in the region since then. Throughout this long history, Nowruz has endured not because it was imposed by rulers but because families kept it alive.
At times, rulers have even tried to suppress holiday celebrations, viewing them as incompatible with the current political or religious order. Many dynasties have taken turns ruling Iran, yet each spring, households continue to plant sabzeh, set up the Haft-Seen table and gather to welcome the new year.
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The survival of Nowruz points to something simple. Traditions can endure long after the political orders surrounding them have changed.
Today, that same continuity can be found far beyond Iran itself. Every year, in homes across Chicago, families gather around Haft-Seen tables of their own to carry on the traditions they once celebrated thousands of miles away. For many in the diaspora, Nowruz is more than a holiday. It is a reminder that culture can travel across borders and generations, carrying with it a sense of identity and belonging.
The question is whether this year’s Nowruz will feel the same. Moments of political tension will inevitably shape the way holidays are experienced. Celebrations may be quieter, reflection deeper and the hopes placed in the new year more urgent for families following events unfolding.
Among Iranians in the diaspora, emotions about current events are often mixed. Some feel cautious optimism about the possibility of political change, while others worry deeply about family members still living in Iran. For many, these feelings are difficult to reconcile.
Watching events unfold from thousands of miles away heightens that tension, especially when internet blackouts in Iran make it difficult to reach family members still trapped. For those living abroad, hopes for change are balanced against the knowledge that the consequences of upheaval are being borne by those still living there.
Yet, if history is any indication, Nowruz will be celebrated nonetheless. In Chicago and around the world, families will still gather around the Haft-Seen table to welcome the new year. In uncertain times, that simple act remains what it has always been: a quiet expression of hope.
Armin Pazooki is a medical student at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and co-editor-in-chief of the Pritzker Health Policy Review.
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