TEHRAN – The fragrant smell of spring with Persian folk music playing in the background, family members happily pitching in cleaning the house accompanied by a cup of tea after a tough day, all describe a pleasant family atmosphere during the spring cleaning in one’s home.

Elsewhere, however, the smell of dust and detergents, the unhappy voice of a father, an authoritative solo decision-maker who is experiencing stress, hunger or a late meal along with the rest of his family is another scene to encounter.

Two contradictory responses to the same situation, “spring cleaning”, pleasant for one family and stressful for another.

Our mothers!

Noruz is on the way. Noruz is coming with its pleasant traditions. Spring cleaning, shopping, cooking, baking, growing sprouts and…. They all represent the arrival of spring and the smell of love.

A friend just recently described her experience of a Noruz. She said 18 months ago, as she was holding her precious little boy in her arms, she thought of each national celebration, ceremony and ritual. All of the sudden, she was hit with anxiety, because it dawned on her that she perhaps was a representative of the past generation who is supposed be a good guardian of past traditions, and Noruz was no exception.

She continued to say that she set a meticulous Haft Seen table last year and posed for photos with her family in colorful attire. She then shared with her son stories about Amoo Noruz, who surprises children with gifts they wish for.

Our traditions are our identity, our being, and our culture, and mothers are liable for passing on cultural traditions to their children.

Our ancestors believed that the souls of our beloved forebears will come back to the physical world in the last five days of a given year, and thus we try to clean our home as a sign of hospitality.

Traditions invite joy and freshness to our home. It is our duty, as mothers, to transfer the beautiful face of this tradition to our children.

I believe we should plan more entertainment in Noruz, making it a lively period for the entire family, and enhancing the spirit of cooperation. The jolly time should never turn into a stressful period for families. 

And that all boils down to mothers’ proper planning and scheduling that could encourage the feeling of cheerfulness in her household.

We are grateful to our mothers for making traditions a beautiful and yet perpetual experience in our mind.

NM/MQ/MG