Every year on the eve of the Spring Equinox, the 13-day-long Persian New Year festival of Nowruz begins. It’s a moment of celebration marked by traditional rituals, like the Chaharshanbe Suri, which calls for revelers to jump over a flame for good fortune. Then, there are also dances, visits with loved ones, and throughout it all, a sofreh haft-sin proudly displayed in the homes of those who celebrate.
The haft-sin consists of a table thoughtfully and artistically arranged with symbolic elements to fete the New Year and the birth of spring. Traditionally, tables are set by women with seven (haft) things beginning with the Persian letter “sin,” including wheat, olives, vinegar, apples, garlic, sumac, and hyacinths—tables also can include mirrors, candles, painted eggs, goldfish, and a “book of wisdom.”
Each table is deeply personal and individual to the families who arrange them, holding objects that might represent their hopes and desires for the year ahead. As Persian photographer Clémence Polès explains: “Each haft-sin I put together feels like a snapshot of where I am in my life, and whenever I look back upon one, it feels like reading an old diary entry.”