Novruz — the seven secrets of the table
The xonça tray, samani, the seven "s" and the Wednesdays — Novruz's thousand-year-old table rules and gift-giving tradition.
Novruz — "new day" — is a spring festival celebrated in Azerbaijan for more than three thousand years and inscribed on UNESCO's intangible heritage list. The four Wednesdays before the holiday — Water, Fire, Wind and Earth — each awaken one element; on the last Wednesday a bonfire is lit, and by leaping over it the weight of the old year is given to the flames.
The Novruz tray holds seven delicacies whose names begin with the letter "s": «səməni» (sprouted wheat), «sumax» (sumac), «sirkə» (vinegar), «sarımsaq» (garlic), «səbzi» (herbs), «sünbül» (hyacinth), «su» (water). In the middle of the tray is samani — sprouted wheat, a symbol of abundance. Around it, shakarbura, pakhlava and qogal — reflections of the moon, stars and sun on the table. Painted eggs, a candle and a mirror — life, light and purity.
At Novruz, sending a share to one's neighbour is a duty: the tray travels from door to door. The Ordubad Bazar Novruz chest continues that tray — sumac, dried fruit, jam and sweets, in the language of a corporate gift. When a company sends its partner a Novruz chest, it joins a thousand-year-old custom.
Süfrə