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Prolonged sitting at a desk or computerterminal can cause muscular tension and pain.But, by taking a five or ten minute break to doa series of stretches, your whole body can feel.better.Itsalso helpful to learn to stretchspontaneously, throughout the day, stretchingany particular area of the body that feels tensefor a minute or two. This will help greatly Inreducing and controlling unwanted tensionand pain.

HOW TO STRETCH
Stretching should be done slowly withoutbouncing. Stretch to where you feel a slight,easy stretch.
Hold this feeling for 5-20 seconds. As you hold this stretch, the feelingof tension should diminish. If It doesn't, justease off slightly into a more comfortablestretch.The easy stretch reduces tension andreadies the tissues for the developmentalstretch.

After holding the easy stretch, you can move afraction of an Inch farther into the stretch untilyou feel mild tension again.This is thedevelopmental stretch which should be heldfor 10-15 seconds.This feeling of stretchtension should also slightly diminish or staythe same. If the tension increases or becomespainful, you are overstretching. Ease off a bit
to a comfortable stretch.The developmentalstretchreduces tension and will safelyincrease flexibility.

Hold only stretch tensions that feel good toyou.The key to stretching is to be relaxedwhile you concentrate on the area beingstretched.Your breathing should be slow,deep and rhythmical. Don't worry about howfar youcan stretch, stretch relaxed andlimberness will become just one of the manyby-products of regular stretching.

...Note:If youhavehad anyrecent surgery,muscle, orjoint problem,please consult yourpersonalhealth care professionalbeforestarting astretchingorexerciseprogram.


The dotted areas are those areas of the bodywhere you will most likelyfeelthe stretch.

Separate and straighten your fingers untiltension of a stretch is felt (fig. 1). Hold for 10seconds. Relax, then bend your fingers at theknuckles and hold for 10 seconds (fig. 2).
Repeat stretch in fig. 1 once more.



This stretch may cause people around you tothink you are very strange, indeed, but youoften find a lot of tension in your face from eyestrain.
Raise your eyebrows and open your eyesas wide as possible.
At the same time, openyour mouth to stretch the muscles around yournose and chin and stick your tongue out. Holdthis stretch for 5-10 seconds.

Caution: If youhave clicking or popping noises when openingmouth, check with your dentist before doingthis stretch.



Shoulder Shrug: Raise the top of yourshoulders toward your ears until you feelslight tension in your neck and shoulders.Hold this feeling of tension for 3-5 seconds,then relax your shoulders downward into theirnormal position.Do this 2-3 times.
Good touse at the first signs of tightness or tension inthe shoulder and neck area.





With fingers interlaced behind head, keepelbows straight out to side with upper body ina good aligned position.
Now pull yourshoulder blades toward each other to create afeeling of tension through upper back andshoulder blades.
Hold this feeling of mildtension for 8-10 seconds, then relax.Doseveral times.
This is good to do whenshoulders and upper back are tense or tight.




Startwith head in a comfortable, alignedposition.
Slowly tilt head to left side to stretchmuscles on side of neck.
Hold stretch for10-20 seconds. Feel a good; even stretch.
Donot overstretch.Then tilt head to right sideand stretch.
Do 2-3 times to each side.






From a stable, aligned sitting position turnyour chin toward your left shoulder to createa stretch on the right side of your neck.
Holdright stretch tensions for 10-20 seconds.
Doeach side twice.






Gently tilt your head forward to stretch theback of the neck.
Hold for 5-10 seconds.Repeat 3-6 times.
Hold only tensions thatfeelgood.
Do not stretch to the point of pain.




Hold your left arm just above the elbow withthe right hand.
Now gently pull elbow towardopposite shoulder asyou lookoveryourleftshoulder.
Hold stretch for 15-20 seconds.
Doboth sides.



Interlace fingers, then straighten arms out infront of you.
The palms should be facing away from you as you do this stretch.
Feel stretchin arms and through the upper part of the back(shoulder blades).
Hold stretch for 20-30seconds.
Do at least two times.




Interlace fingers then turn palms upwardsabove your head as you straighten your arms.Think of elongating your arms as you feel astretchthrougharms and upper sides of ribcage.
Hold for 10-20 seconds.Hold onlystretches that feel releasing.
Do three times.





Hold left elbow with right hand, then gentlypullelbowbehindhead until an easytension-stretch is felt in shoulder or back ofupper arm (triceps).
Hold easy stretch for 30seconds.Do not overstretch.
Do both sides.



Hold onto your lower leg just below the knee.
Gently pull bent leg toward your chest.
Toisolate a stretch in the side of your upper leg,use the rightarm to pull bent leg across andtoward the opposite shoulder.
Hold for 30seconds at easy stretch tension.
Do bothsides.




A stretch for the side of hip, lower and middleof back.
Sit with left leg bent over right leg,then rest elbow or forearm of right arm on theoutside of the upper thigh of the left leg.
Nowapplysome controlled,steadypressuretoward the right with the elbow or forearm.
As you do this look over your left shoulder toget the stretch feeling.
Do both sides. Holdfor 15 seconds.



The next stretch is done with -fingersinterlaced behind your back.
Slowly turn yourelbows inward while straightening your arms.
An excellent stretch for shoulders and arms.
This is good to do when you find yourselfslumping forward from your shoulders. Thisstretch can be done at any time.
Hold for 5-15seconds.
Do twice.



To stretch your calf, stand a little ways from asolid support and lean on it with your forearms,your head resting on your hands.
Bend one legand place your foot on the floor in front of youleaving the other leg straight, behind you.
Slowly move your hips forward until you feel astretch in the calf of your straight leg.
Be sureto keep the heel of the foot of the straight leg onthe floor andyour toes pointed straight ahead.
Hold an easy stretch for 30 seconds.
Do notbounce.
Stretch both legs.

sleep posture
 

Do you know how your sleep posture show your personality?

Click on your own sleep posture for knowing your personality.

 

The history of the theatre in America begins early in the Eighteenth Century, about the time the first rumblings were heard of the storm which was to break the ties still holding the Colonies to the mother country.

 

 

William Dunlap, the earliest historian of the American stage, tells us that the drama was first introduced in this country by the Hallams in the year 1752 when they brought over a company from London and presented The Merchant of Venice at Williamsburg, then the capital of Virginia, in a building arranged for that purpose. "This," says Dunlap "was the first theatre opened in America by a company of regular comedians." This singularly misleading statement is perhaps the most conspicuous of a number of similar erroneous assertions which mar an otherwise valuable and interesting work. [1] Dunlap ignored or was uninformed of a number of well authenticated dramatic performances which had been given in different parts of the Colonies many years before the arrival of the Hallams. Apparently, he knew nothing of the theatre built in Williamsburg, VA., in 1716. He had no knowledge of the theatre opened in New York in 1732. He makes no mention of the opening of the Playhouse in Dock Street, Charleston, S.C., in 1736. [2] He had never heard of Thomas Kean who acted Richard III at the First Nassau Street Theatre, New York, March 5, 1750.

Even so careful an historian as Joseph N. Ireland falls into the error of taking it for granted that no earlier records existed because he had not happened to stumble upon them. In his Records of the New York Stage, [3] referring to an advertisement in Bradford's Gazette of October, 1733, which mentions George Talbot's store as being "next door to the Playhouse," he says, "No other reference has been found respecting it (the Playhouse) and any conjecture as to its proprietors, its performers, or the plays presented therein would be vain and fruitless."

How little "vain and fruitless" may be judged from that fact that today we not only know what play was performed in this New York theatre of 1732, but also who some of the players were.

Virginia has some claim to be considered the cradle of the Native American theatre, but 1752 was not the date of the drama's birth in this country. There were theatrical performances in Williamsburg and acting in New York by professional players many years earlier than that. We know that a regular theatre was built in Williamsburg and performances given as early as 1716. We also know that Murray and Kean's troupe of professional players acted Richard III iin Williamsburg some time before the Hallams arrived and presented The Merchant of Venice. In fact, the Hallams used the same theatre that the Murray-Kean company had recently occupied.

 

In view of the more than scant information regarding plays and players in the pre-Revolutionary newspapers and chronicles of the time, it would be an impossible task to attempt to ascertain when or where the first theatrical performance took place on the North American continent. It is likely that there were scattered dramatic performances of a sort in all the Colonies many years before we have any records of them, particularly in the South where the prejudice against the stage was less violent than in the North, but singularly enough it is in the Puritanical New England provinces that we find the first actual records of public theatricals, and in Quaker Philadelphia that the drama first found a permanent home.

 

That so little should be known of the early beginnings of the acted drama in America is not surprising when one considers the intolerance of the age against the theatre and the player. In face of the almost general condemnation of the playhouse the journals of the day were not encouraged to give much, if any, space in their slender columns to the doings of player-folk. It was also the custom at that time for the actors themselves to distribute handbills at the houses of prospective theatre goers, and thus stir up interest in the coming performance, instead of depending solely on newspaper advertising as is the modern practice. These reasons, perhaps, sufficiently explain the almost total absence of theatrical news in the pre-Revolutionary newspapers, a fact which has rendered exceedingly difficult the researches of the historian.

 

 

In the South the Colonists had imported a taste for the drama together with their other English customs, but in the North the playhouse was still considered the highway to hell and was everywhere fiercely condemned if not actually forbidden under the severest penalties. In 1750 the General Court of Massachusetts passed an act prohibiting stage plays and theatrical entertainments of any kind. On May 31, 1759, the House of Representatives in the Colony of Pennsylvania passed a law forbidding the showing and acting of plays under a penalty of £500. In 1761 Rhode Island passen "an act to Prevent Stage Plays and other Theatrical Entertainments within this Colony," and the following year the New Hampshire House of Representatives refused a troupe of actors admission to Portsmouth on the ground that plays had a "peculiar influence on the minds of young people and greatly endanger their morals by giving them a taste for intriguing, amusement and pleasure." In 1824 President Dwight of Yale College in his "Essay on the Stage" declared that "to indulge a taste for playgoing means nothing more or less than the loss of that most valuable treasure the immortal soul." Even as late as 1856, when the city of Brooklyn could boast of only one theatre and the citizens were gravely contemplating the erection of another, there was considerable opposition to the word "theatre," a compromise being finally reached by calling it an Academy of Music. Judge Daly [4] tells an amusing anecdote connected with the preliminary planning of this new house. There was a warm argument among the building committee over the questions of stage and scenery, a determined stand being taken against a curtain. "A curtain," exclaimed one solemn-faced objector, "is intended to conceal something and concealment suggests impropriety." So little versed in the lore of the theatre was this worthy city father that it was necessary to explain to him that stage plays were usually divided into sections, commonly called "acts," and that the curtain was lowered simply to mark the intervals.

Yet in spite of this hostile and uncompromising attitude toward the theatre, stage performances were occasionally, if not frequently, given, usually by special permission of the local authorities. The probability is that the laws forbidding play-acting remained a dead letter in many of the large towns at least, the regulations governing the players being introduced more to placate public opinion at the moment than with any serious intention of suppressing the player altogether as a public nuisance. How else can we account for the theatrical performances in New York in 1702 and again in 1732 or for the performances given in 1714 in Boston and Philadelphia?

 

 

It must not be forgotten that while the great majority of the Northern Colonists were bitterly opposed to the playhouse on religious and moral grounds, there was a large and growing class in the important centers who were burdened with no such scruples--people of means and leisure who had only recently crossed the Atlantic and who, when seeking recreation, naturally turned to a form of amusement highly popular at home. It is not unreasonable, then, to presume that as the Colonies grew in importance, and communication between America and Europe became more frequent, the old spirit of irreconcilable intolerance which put a ban on all secular amusements was considerably modified, especially in the important towns. The citizens of these communities, in their moments of leisure, no doubt often longed for the pleasures of the theatre, glowing accounts of which arrived from London by every ship.

The drama in England had gradually risen from the depths into which it had sunk after the Restoration. Under the leadership of Addison, Pope, Steele and Swift began the so-called "Augustan age" of English literature. Dryden, hailed as a new Shakespeare, had already given the stage the vigor and brilliancy of his genius, while Thomas Otway's tragedy Venus Preserved had earned for him the title of "Euripides of the English Stage." Addison, producing his Cato, the finest English example of classical tragedy, at a moment of great political excitement, met with extraordinary success, calling forth praise even from the cynical Voltaire. Wycherley had made all London laugh with his masterpieces The Country Wife and The Plain Dealer; Congreve, the greatest English master of pure comedy, had produced his crowning triumph Love for Love. Colley Cibber had written his best play, The Careless Husband, and adapted Shakespeare. George Farquhar, leader among the comic dramatists, amused thousands with his sprightly farces The Recruiting Sergeant and The Beaux Stratagem. Sir Richard Steele, catering to the new public taste for sentimental comedy, had won immediate success with The Conscious Lovers. The most famous men in England wrote plays and attended their performance. The pit of the theatre was the resort of wit and learning; while fashion, beauty, taste and refinement, the proud and exclusive aristocracy of the land, took their places in the boxes, surrounding the assemblage of poets and critics below.

 

 

The acting of the day was the finest. Thomas Betterton, the great Shakespearean actor, and all the famous players of the Restoration were long past their maturity, but a new generation--Wilks, Cibber, Mrs. Porter, Peg Woffington and others, equally as celebrated--was rising to take their places. Barton Booth, the tragedian of the day, was so popular that he had been admitted to the Patent, while Ann Oldfield, the barmaid who became the associate of duchesses, was the reigning attraction at Drury Lane. Macklin, departing from tradition, had thrilled London by playing Shylock for the first time as a tragic character. In the same year David Garrick, the foremost actor of his age, made his début in Goodman's Fields as Richard III.

 

While the American Colonies were growing in wealth and energy, the times were not without their anxieties. There was increasing unrest at the burdens and vexations put on the provinces by the English Parliament and threats of the Colonists to throw off the yoke of the mother country were heard on every hand. The encroachments of the French on the Ohio also created concern, and two years after the Hallams landed in America and made their first bow to Williamsburg audiences Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia dispatched a young officer to the nearest posts to find out what the French were doing. The name of the young officer was George Washington. The French proving obstinate in their claims, the squabble was followed by the Fourth Intercolonial war, which was ended by the taking of Quebec and the conquest of Canada by the British.

 

The population of the Colonies, at the beginning of the Eighteenth Century, was about six-hundred and fifty thousand. Newport, the metropolis of Rhode Island, had a population of five thousand, including Indians and negroes. Virginia had a population of sixty thousand, of whom about one-half were slaves. Massachusetts mustered about seventy or eighty thousand.

 

Means of travel in those days were so few and difficult that the cities were practically isolated. Coaches were slow and uncertain. It took a day to go from Philadelphia to New York and three days to go from New York to Boston. The great West was still an unexplored wilderness inhabited by marauding savages. The most popular mode of travel was by water. Hallam and his players selected the ocean route when they went North from Virginia in 1753. As an instance of the difficulties of communication between American cities, even as late as the year 1823, manager W.B. Wood [5] relates how the celebrated star Thomas Abthorpe Cooper one wintry night was unable to fill an important theatre engagement in Philadelphia because he found it impossible to reach that city from New York owing to an ice jam in the Hudson!

 

New York in 1700 had thirty thousand inhabitants, including seven thousand slaves. By 1732 the population had more than doubled, and it was rapidly becoming a gay and cosmopolitan town. Although not so important as Philadelphia, it grew larger and more prosperous year by year. Commerce thrived, stately ships left its docks for all ports of the world, and beautiful homes rose on each side of "Hudson's River." The people were industrious and sociable. There still remained among them some influence of the old Dutch burghers' manners and habits, but the predominating tastes were English and French. There were weekly evening clubs and in the winter balls and concerts under the patronage of the new governor. It is only reasonable to presume that among these diversions theatre-going formed a part. The governor, almost invariably a member of the English aristocracy, was usually a man of culture whose taste for literature and art would naturally incline him to encourage rather than frown upon any attempt made to present plays in his jurisdiction, no matter what the local ordinances said to the contrary

Iranian New Year's ideological roots

 

 

Norouz, or new day, is the celebration of spring equinox. It is the most cherished of all the Iranian festivals and is celebrated by all. This occasion has been renowned in one form or another by all the major cultures of ancient Mesopotamia. What we have today as Norouz with its uniquely Iranian characteristics has been celebrated for at least 4,000 years and is deeply rooted in the rituals and traditions of the Zoroastrian belief system in the Sassanid period.

This was the religion of ancient Persia before the advent of Islam in 7th century A.D. The familiar concepts of Hell, Heaven, Resurrection, coming of the Messiah, individual and last judgment were for the first time incorporated into this belief system. They still exist in Judo-Christian and Islamic traditions. In order to understand Norouz we have to understand Zoroastrians' cosmology.

In their ancient text, Bundahishn (foundation of creation), we read that Ahura Mazda residing in eternal light was not God. He created all that was good and became God. The Hostile Spirit, Angra Mainyu (Ahriman), residing in eternal darkness created all that was evil and became the Hostile Spirit (The word anger in English comes from the same origin). Everything that produced, protected and enriched life 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 belonged to the good forces. All that threatened life and created disorder belonged to the hostile spirits.

The two worlds did not have a material form but the essence of everything was present. The two existed side by side for 3,000 years, but were completely separate from each other. At the end of the third millennium the Hostile Spirit attacked the good world. This was the beginning of all troubles we face today, according to Zoroastrian world view.

In order to protect his world, Ahura Mazda created the material world Gaeity, (Geety in modern Persian). This material world was created in seven different stages. The first creation was the sky, a big chunk of stone high above. The second was the first ocean at the bottom. Earth a big flat dish sitting on the ocean was the third. The next three creations were the prototypes of all life forms. The first plant, the first animal a bull and the first human Gayo-maretan (Kiomarth, in common name for males in modern Persian), both male and female. The seventh creation was fire and sun together.

The struggle between Good and Evil continues for 12,000 years. There are four periods, each 3,000 years long. At the last phase several saviors appear, and the last one Saoshyant will save the world. When he comes there is Resurrection, walking over the Chinvat Bridge (Sarat Bridge in the Qoran) and Last Judgment. We recognize this figure as the Lord of Time (Imam Zaman) in Shiite Islam.

In order to protect his creations, Ahura Mazda also created six holy immortals (Amesha Spenta), one for each of his creations in the material world. Khashtra (Sharivar), the protector of the sky, Asha-Vahishta (Ordibehesht in modern Persian) protected fire. Vahu Manah (Bahman) for all animals, Haurvatat (Khordad) protected all waters, Spenta Armaiti (Esphand) a female deity became protector of mother earth and Ameratat (Amurdad or Mordad) supported all plant life. Ahura Mazda himself became the protector of all humans and the Holy Fire.

There was one problem with this material world: it did not have a life cycle. The sun did not move. There were no days or nights and no seasons. The three prototypes of life were sacrificed. From the plant came the seeds of all plants. The bull produced all animals and from the human came the first male and female. The rest of humanity was created from their union. The cycle of life started. The sun moved, there was day, night and the seasons. This was the first Norouz.

Ahura Mazda also created guardian angels (forouhars or farvahars) for all living beings. Every human had one as long as they stayed with the good forces, as we see in the myth of Azydahak in Avesta, the Zoroastrians' holy book. We know this figure in Ferdosi's Shahnameh as Zahak, a prince who chooses the Hostile Spirit as his protector, was made a king, ruled for 999 years and became immortal.

Zoroaster (Zardosht) the architect of this cosmology introduced many feasts, festivals and rituals to pay homage to the seven creations, the holy immortals and Ahura Mazda. The seven most important ones are known as Gahambars, the feasts of obligation. The last and the most elaborate was Norouz, celebrating Ahura Mazda and the Holy Fire at the spring equinox. The oldest archaeological record for Norouz celebration comes from the Achaemenian period over 2,500 years ago. Achaemenians had four major residences one for each season. Persepolis was their spring residence and the site for celebrating the New Year. Stone carvings show the king seated on his throne receiving his subjects, governors and ambassadors from various nations under his control. They are presenting him with gifts and paying homage to him. We do not know much about the details of the rituals. We do know that mornings were spent praying and performing other religious rituals. Later on during the day the guests would be entertained with feasts and celebrations.

We also know that the ritual of sacred marriage took place at this palace. An ancient and common ritual in Mesopotamia, the king would spend the first night of the New Year with a young virgin. Any offspring produced from this union would be sent back to the temples and they would normally end up as high-ranking religious officials. There is no evidence that this was practiced in later periods.

What we have today as Norouz goes back to the Sassanid period. They formed the last great Persian Empire before the advent of Islam. Their celebrations would start ten days prior to the New Year. They believed the guardian angels (forouhars or farvahars) and spirits of the dead would come down to earth within these ten days to visit humans. A major spring-cleaning was carried out to welcome them with feasts and celebrations. Bon fires would be set on rooftops at night to indicate to the spirits and the angels that humans were ready to receive them. This festival was called Suri.

Modern Iranians still carry out the spring-cleaning and celebrate Chahar-Shanbeh Suri. Bon fires are made and all people will jump over the fire in the evening of the last Tuesday of the year. This is a purification rite and Iranians believe by going over the fire they will get rid of all illnesses and misfortunes. This festival did not exist before Islam in this form and very likely is a combination of more than one ritual. The ancient Zoroastrians would also celebrate the first five days of Norouz, but it was the sixth day that was the most important of all. This day was called the Great Norouz and is assumed to be the birthday of Zoroaster himself. Zoroastrians today still celebrate this day, but it has lost its significance for other Iranians. In the Sassanid period, the New Year would be celebrated for 21 days and on the 19th day there would be another major festival. At all times there were feasts, prayers, dance, plays and jokers. Haji Firouz might be what is left of the ancient festivities. Men color their face black, dress in colorful outfits and appear in public dancing and singing joyful and merry songs.

 

Modern Iranians celebrate the New Year for 13 days. It is customary for all to take a bath and cleanse themselves thoroughly before Norouz. This is a purification rite but has lost its meaning in modern times. New garments are worn to emphasize freshness. This is very important since Norouz is a feast of hope and renewal. Families stay home and wait for the start of the New Year which starts at the exact time of the spring equinox-- called Sal Tahvil -- between the 19th and 21st of March. The first few minutes are spent around an elaborately prepared spread known as the Haft Seen with several items and objects that begin with the letter "S". More religious people will read or recite verses from the Qoran, before the start of the New Year.

The announcement of the New Year

Once the New Year is announced (on the radio or TV) younger members of the family will pay respect to elders by wishing them a merry New Year and sometimes they kiss their hands (a sign of ultimate respect). Relatives kiss and hug and presents (traditionally cash or coins) are exchanged. Sweets are offered to all symbolically sweeten their lives for the rest of the year. A small mirror is passed around, rose water is sprinkled into the air and Espand, a popular incense is burnt, to keep the evil eye away. In more traditional families, the father and the first born son will walk around the house with a lit candle and a small mirror to ritually bless the physical space. Lit candles on the spread are left to burn.

The first few days are spent visiting older members of the family, relatives and friends. Children receive presents and sweets and special meals are consumed. Traditionally on the night before the New Year, most Iranians will have Sabzi Polo Mahi, a special dish of rice cooked with fresh herbs and served with smoked and freshly fried fish. Koukou Sabzi, a mixture of fresh herbs with eggs fried or baked, is also served. The next day rice and noodles (Reshteh Polo) is served. Regional variations exist and very colorful feasts are prepared.

Haft Seen

A major part of New Year rituals is setting the Haft Seen with seven specific items. In ancient times each of the items corresponded to one of the seven creations and the seven holy immortals protecting them. Today they are changed and modified but some have kept their symbolism. All the seven items start with the letter "S'; this was not the order in ancient times.

Zoroastrians today do not have the seven "S"s but they have the ritual of growing seven seeds as a reminder that this is the seventh feast of creation, while their sprouting into new growth symbolized resurrection and eternal life to come. Wheat or lentil representing new growth is grown in a flat dish a few days before the New Year and is called Sabzeh (green shoots). Decorated with colorful ribbons, it is kept until Sizdah-be-dar, the 13th day of the New Year, and then disposed outdoors. A few live gold fish (the most easily obtainable animal) are placed in a fish bowl. In the old days they would be returned to the riverbanks, but today most people will keep them. Mirrors are placed on the spread with lit candles as a symbol of fire.

Zoroastrians today place the lit candle in front of the mirror to increase the reflection of light. Mirrors were significant items in Zoroastrian art and architecture, and still are an integral part of most Iranian celebrations including weddings. They are extensively referred to in Iranian mystical literature as well and represent self-reflection. All Iranian burial shrines are still extensively decorated with mirrors, a popular decorative style of ancient times. Light is regarded as sacred by the Zoroastrians and the use of mirrors multiplies the reflection of light.

Wine was always present on the Haft Seen spread. Since the Muslim conquest, it has been replaced by vinegar because alcohol is banned in Islam. Egg, a universal symbol of fertility corresponding to Sepanta Armaiti, or mother earth, is still present. The eggs are hard-boiled and are traditionally colored in red, green or yellow, colors favored by Zoroastrians. Recently following the Easter Egg tradition, any color is used and they are elaborately decorated. The eggs are offered to children as treats.

Fresh garlic is used to warn off bad omen. This is a modern introduction. There is no evidence that it was used in this context before. However the ancient Iranians would grow seven different herbs for the New Year and garlic might have been one of them. Samanu a thick brownish paste is present today. It is a nutritious meal and could have been part of the feasts. It is also possible that it has replaced Haoma, a scared herbal mix known for its healing properties. It was a major cult on its own with many rituals and ceremonies. The cult is still performed by the Zoroastrians today, but is abandoned by other Iranians. Coins symbolizing wealth and prosperity, fruits and special sweets and baked goods are also in the Haft Seen.

Sizde-be-dar

The 13th day is spent mostly outdoors. People will leave their homes to go to the parks or local plains for a festive picnic. It is a must to spend Sizdah beh dar in nature. This was not celebrated in this manner before Islam and might be several rituals in one. It is possible that this day was devoted to the deity Tishtrya (Tir) protector of rain. In Zoroastrian calendar each day is named after a deity and this particular day in the month of Farvardin is named after Tishtrya. In the past there were outdoor festivities to pray to this deity and ask for adequate rain that was essential for agriculture.

All kinds of food and delicacies are prepared with tea, drinks, fruits, bread, cheese and fresh herbs. Wealthy Iranians will spend the day in country homes. The occasion is a communal one and all close relatives and friends will participate. Wheat or barley shoots (Sabzeh) grown especially for the New Year are discarded in nature on this day. The picnic ends with the setting of the sun. The occasion has no religious significance and is celebrated by all. With the more modern Iranians there is music and dancing while most people will play games and sports.

 

For the ancient Iranians, Norouz was a celebration of life. They felt forces of nature that were completely beyond their control had a dominant effect on their lives. They formed a union with these forces to protect themselves. Through this union they created a balance and maintained cosmic order, or Asha. Without it there would be chaos, dominated by the Hostile Spirit (Ahriman). Zoroastrians were and are required to have the same mind, the same voice and act the same way as their god Ahura Mazda. They are expected to only think of good things, speak the good words and act the good deeds. This way they managed to keep their balance. Norouz was an occasion when life with all its glory was celebrated and cherished.