Nowruz - Persian New Year

Hey, everyone! Today, I'm going to be talking about the traditional celebration of Nowruz. For those who do not know what Nowruz is, it is the Persian New Year and also the first day of Spring. It is celebrated throughout Central Asia and the Middle East. It is a thirteen-day festival celebrated by Iranian's all around the world! In Farsi, Nowruz means "new day", and it includes many days of preparation. My family likes to do spring cleaning a couple days before Nowruz so that everything is ready and the table looks nice. Last Saturday, my family and I celebrated the New Year by being all together and talking about the new year. We also exchanged gifts in a tradition of Nowruz.

Now, I'm going to be talking about the most important tradition for Nowruz, which is the table display called Haftsin. In Farsi, Haftsin means " Seven S's". These seven items on the table have spiritual symbols and all represent important things. The first item on the table is Sabzeh, which is grass or wheat growing from a dish, and it symbolizes rebirth. The second item is Samanu, a sweet pudding made from wheat germ, which symbolizes affluence. The third item is Senjed, the dried fruit of the oleaster tree, symbolizing love. The fourth item is Sir, gloves of garlic, symbolizing medicine. The fifth item is a Seeb, which is a red apple, symbolizing beauty and health. The sixth item is Somaq, which is sumaq berries, symbolizing sunrise. And the seventh item on the table is Serkeh, which is vinegar, symbolizing patience and age. As you can tell, all these seven items start with an S! Other items on the table included a Sonbol, which symbolizes the coming of Spring, or Sekkeh (coins) symbolizing wealth and success, a mirror, colorful eggs, and a bowl of goldfish.
Lastly, the dancing and singing figure, known as Hajji Firuz, is an announcer for the Persian New Year. He is represented as bringing blessing and happiness for the spring time.

I hope you enjoyed reading my blog and learned more about the Iranian celebration of Nowruz, and hope you had a great new year!

Photo Credit- http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cFwSQ_7e-iI/VQxsWfBEezI/AAAAAAAAF7Q/rf8kfiqtccU/s1600

High School

Hey, guys! This week I'm going to be writing about going to high school. I thought of this because I am in 8th grade and middle school is almost over. As middle school went by, I have become a more intelligent and responsible person. I have a lot more knowledge of what is going on in the world and I also learned so many different things in school. I have made some wonderful friends and met a lot of great teachers as well. Going to high school, I feel like there will be many different types of teachers and people. The dress code will be more "high school" appropriate and you will become a more independent person. Some things I'm excited about high school are meeting new people, being in a larger school, choosing the subjects I'm interested in, learning new material, and growing up into a young adult. Although you have a lot more freedom, it also means more responsibilities. I also have fears such as getting lost, having very hard work, getting bullied and not being with any of my friends. A lot of people say that some older kids pick on the younger kids, but I think if I hang out with my good friends, I will be just fine. Another advice is to just be yourself and don't let anyone tell you what to wear or how to act. It's also good to stay away from peer pressure because it may not lead to good things. So, in conclusion, I think high school will be a challenging but a very good experience for me becoming a young adult. I will have to be more organized and always focus on my school work to be successful in life.

I hope you enjoyed my blog! - Mona

Fuller house!

Hey, everyone! Today I'm going to blog about the new show that is playing on Netflix called Fuller House. It is known as a reunion show from the original version, Full house. Full house was an 80's show on ABC. If you haven't watched Full house, then the characters and events might confuse you in Fuller house. Fuller house is like a sitcom to the original show, showing all the cast grown up about 29 years later. A lot of people say it's "cheesy" or "not as good" but I believe that it's really good and entertaining. I also think that it's cool how each character grows up but still has their same humor like before. However, I'm kinda sad how Michelle didn't want to be on the show anymore because she was like the main character in Full house. Oh and I love how the family always hugs and they all get along now. I can not wait until Netflix releases season 2. I have a feeling it's going to be really good! Anyway, If you haven't watched Fuller house, I suggest you watch it because it's great when you want to laugh. I hope you enjoyed reading my blog!