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late again. got home at like midnight last night. but lots and lots of images!
march 20th is the vernal equinox- in other words, the first day of spring. in iran, this is the day on which they celebrate the new year. norūz (which means "new day") is the first day of spring and comes with a lot of traditions, including the Haft Sīn table. the idea is that you set the table with at least seven things that start with "s". of course, these are all the persian words.
things that are usually on my family's Haft Sīn table (with jog-my-memory help from wikipedia) include

• sabzeh - a plate of grass/wheat/etc- symbolizing rebirth. once it is the new year, everyone is supposed to use scissors to trim the grass and make a wish.
• samanu - a sweet pudding made from wheat germ - symbolizing affluence
• senjed - the dried fruit of the oleaster tree - symbolizing love
• sīr - garlic - symbolizing medicine
• sīb - apples - symbolizing beauty and health
• somaq - sumac berries - symbolizing (the color of) sunrise
• serkeh - vinegar - symbolizing age and patience
• Sonbol - Hyacinth (plant)
• Sekkeh - Coins of any kind - representative of wealth
• traditional Iranian pastries 
• Aajeel - dried nuts, berries and raisins
• lit candles (enlightenment and happiness)
• a mirror (symbolizing cleanness and honesty)
• decorated eggs, just like easter (fertility)
• a bowl of water with goldfish (life within life, and the sign of Pisces which the sun is leaving). "As an essential object of the Nowruz table, this goldfish is also "very ancient and meaningful" and with Zoroastrian connection." Wikipedia
• the national colors, for a patriotic touch
• a holy book (Quran) and/or a poetry book (usually Hafez).

I don't know if this is tradition, but we tend to keep a photograph of my deceased grandfather on the table too.

how he got in there, i'll never know. (this was in the morning, before noruz)

goldfish are harder to shoot than you'd think. these ones were very camera shy, so i couldn't get as close as i'd like to them (and of course they are constantly moving).

with a little help from photoshop. <3

great grandmother