Friday April 2

Friday April 2, 2010:

Today is Sizdah-bedar.Well in Persian language we call it like that, which means 13 days after Noruz(Iranian New Year) is another celebration.
What do we do is very simple and nice.

We should get out house and go to the nature and send our lovely Sprouts, have made for new year into a running water. It is believed that "Joy" and "Laughter" clean the mind from all evil thoughts, and the picnic is usually a festive or happy event. In day like this we are not supposed to work or deal with any other official,finanacial assesses. Some people also pull practical jokes and tell white lies on this day, calling it the thirteenth lie (this is very similar to April Fools). People will also release goldfish into a pond or river.
This is an evil day which ,we take it easy and just have fun with family member .
tradition on the Sizdah Bedar, is the knotting of blades of grass by unmarried girls in hope of finding a good companion at these kind of celebrations. The other family members may also meet the others at the festival and find possible candidates for their unmarried daughters, as well as sons, and to make arrangements for their proper introduction. The knotting of the grass represents love and the bond between a man and a woman.
The point is I couldn’t do it for few years in China,as I was alone and finding a proper place is pain in butt,but thnis year I married and I could knot the grass!...

Touching someone else's sabzeh on this thirteenth day or bringing it home, therefore, is considered to be bad omen, and may invite other peoples' pain and hardship to one.

The most important thing is, it is supposed to be a nice day and the time before we put sprout into water we make wishes for health and blessing till next year.

The interesting part this year was, I did with Wijbren.

Well, as a matter of fact, in China literally we can’t find running water in the city districts. It not like Tehran, at least each park you hang find some water like small stream, or water fall or what so ever.

We have found a river (in fact most Chinese cities have rivers, but hardly pass through the city!) and then we made our wishes.
We could be in park and spend the whole day as Wijbren had classes to teach and our regular shopping day was next.