Tiny Traditional Haft Seen

First things first: Happy Nowruz!

But what is Nowruz? Nowruz (Persian: نوروز, translation: The New Days) is called to the first 13 days of each year in Iranian/Persian calendar (which occurs in 20, 21 or 22 of march in Gregorian calendar). Nowruz starts with exact time of astronomical equinox, so it's start time of the day changes every year. This year's Nowruz started at 20 march at 07:19:13 Tehran time (03:49:37 GMT, 20:49:37 Pacific Time) and lasts until the first day of April. (As Persian Calendar has 365 days and it's leap years are 366 days, and as Gregorian Calendar is so, the Nowruz start day may change in Gregorian Calendar between 20, 21 or 22 of month of march, just like Christmas in Persian Calendar that changes every year).

Nowruz traditions dates back to 7,000 years ago which was celebrated by diverse communities of Western Asia, Central Asia, Caucasus, Black Sea Basin, The Balkans and South Asia. Today, Nowruz is celebrated all around the world by members of those communities. Although the Persian Calendar is much older than Gregorian Calendar, but it’s epoch is changed to the Prophet Muhammad’s first revelations year. So this instructable is written in Nowruz of year 1399 of Persian Calendar. Haft Seen (Persian: هفت سین, translation: Seven-S) is a traditional arrangement of seven symbolic items which their names start with letter S (Persian: س, Pronounced as Seen).

Nowruz is celebrated as start of the Spring season each year. Actually, nowrooz starts with exact time of astronomical equinox, so it's days and time changes every year. This year's Nowrooz started at 20 march at 07:19:13 Tehran time (03:49:37 GMT, 20:49:37 Pacific Time) and lasts until the first day of April. Traditionally, Haft Seen is arranged just before the Nowruz, and when Nowruz starts (at the exact time of astronomical equinox, families are toghether by the Haft Seen Table. Haft Seen is kept for 13 days until the end of the celebrations. Among the following list of items, at least seven Items are chosen for Haft Seen:

• Sabzeh (Persian: سبزه): Sprouts grown in a dish (commonly wheat, barley, mung bean, or lentil). Sabzeh is the symbol of life and nature. In the last day of Nowruz which is 13th day, known as Sizdah be dar (Persian: سیزده به در, translation: trip of 13th) people go outside of the cities and spend the day in nature, and throw the Sabzeh in a running water so to goes back to the nature).

• Senjed (Persian: سنجد): A small, sweet and dry fruit also known as Persian Olive. Senjed is the symbol of love.

• Samanu (Persian: سمنو): A sweet pudding made from wheat germ. Samanu is the symbol of fertility and giving birth.

• Sumac (Persian: سماق): A sour fruit, it’s powder which is known as Sumac Spice. Sumac is symbol of spice and food.

• Sekkeh (Persian: سکه): Coins. Sekkeh is a symbol of wishes for good income for the new year.

• Seeb (Persian: سیب): Apple. Seeb is the symbol of good health.

• Serkeh (Persian: سرکه): Vinegar. Serkeh is the symbol of spice and food.

• Seer (Persian: سیر): Garlic. Seer is the symbol of spice and food.

• Sonbol (Persian: سنبل): Hyacinth flowers. Sonbol is symbol of friendship and nature.

Other symbolic Items that usually accompany Haft Seen items are:

• Mirror and candles, which are the symbols of light.

• Painted eggs, which are symbols of fertility and giving birth.

• Goldfish, which is sign of Pisces, the 12th and last month of Persian Calendar. It means life continues, and every bad things finally comes to an end, so we should be happy and try for a better, happier year.

• Confectionaries, which is a symbol of happiness.

• The Holy Books: Quran, Bible or Avesta, which are the symbol of The God.

• Book(s) of Wisdom, which are the symbol of Thought. Usually epic poems of Shahnameh by Ferdowsi and/or the poems of Divan by Hafez.

• Flowers, which are symbol of beauty, happiness, friendship and natures.

In this Instructable, I’m going to teach you how to make your own tiny crochet Haft Seen.

• Tools

• A crochet hook (I use size 12)

• Materials

• A few meters/feets of yarn balls of different colors (white, bright green, dark brown, white, reddish brown. Also optionally you may want golden, silver, yellow or brown (for coins) and any color or combination of colors of your choice for saucers and cups.

• Skills

You need to know how to stitch single crochets, double crochets and chains. You can learn these skills in Instructables website or Google it to find other tutorials on the web.

Dishes are used to hold different items of Haft Seen. In this tiny Haft Seen, we use cups and saucers. We use the same pattern for all the cups and saucers that are needed in this Haft Seen. Stitch dishes according to the following pattern for each item of Haft Seen. Note that you can use different colors of yarns as you wish. I used white and turquoise yarns.

Saucers:

1. In the 1st round, 18 double crochets.
2. In the 2nd round, stitch a chain between each crochets of 1st round.
3. In the 3rd round, in the middle of each two crochets, two double crochets followed by a chain and another double crochet.
4. In the 4th round, in the middle of crochets of 3rd round, in each two crochets, stitch two double crochets followed by a chain and two other double crochets.
5. In the 5th and 6th round, continue stitching like the 4th round.

Cups:

1. In the 3rd round of saucers, between of each single crochets, in each crochet, stitch two double crochets, a chain followed by two other double crochets.
2. Keep stitching two other rounds like this.

After stitching the cup, put some cotton, yarn, wool, or any other material of choice inside the cup. Then you can easily place and fix each next items on top of these cups.

Use bright green yarns for Sabzeh.

1. Stitch a magic round with 6 loose crochets.
2. Continue stitching a flat circle until it fits the cup’s top.

Use reddish brown yarns for Persian Olive.

1. In 1st round, 6 single crochets.
2. In 2nd round, 12 single crochets.
3. In 3rd round, 18 single crochets.
4. In 4th round, 12 single crochets.
5. In 5th round, 6 single crochets.

For samanu, serkeh and sumac use the same pattern bellow.

use a dark brown yarn to stitch Samanu. For serkeh (vinegar) use white colored yarn and for sumac spice, use reddish brown colors.

1. In the 1st round, 6 single crochets.
2. In the 2nd round, 12 single crochets.
3. In the 3rd round, 12 single crochets.
4. Continue stitching a flat circle until it fits the cup’s top

Use golden, silver, yellow or brown yarn. You need to stitch several coins to fit the cup.

In the 1st round, 6 single crochets.
In the 2st round, 12 single crochets.
In the 3st round, 18 single crochets.

Now you learned how to stitch a tiny Haft Seen with it's most important items.

Soon I'll update this instructable to add some more tutorials for stitching optional items of Haft Seen, such as holy books, wisdom books, mirror, egg, goldfish, number of the year, confectionaries, and also Hajji Firuz/Khawja Piruz's (a happy and funny fictional character of Nowruz with dark skin, similar to Santa Claus in western cultures) and Zodiac animal of the year (which is mouse for the year 1399).

Please stitch your own tiny crochet Haft Seen and share it with us.

Thank you.