For a significant group of people, the lunar equinox on March 19 brings not just a new season, but also a new year. Nowruz, which translates to “new day” in Farsi (also known as Persian), is the new year’s holiday observed in Iran and Afghanistan, as well as among the Persian diaspora and Parsi (Zoroastrian) communities around the world.
This year, Nowruz takes place on Tuesday, March 19, at 11:06 p.m. EST. The community that observes Nowruz follows the lunar calendar and honors traditions including cleaning the house, visiting family, and picnicking on Sizdah Dedar, the 13th day of the new year. Celebratory dishes include sabzi polo mahi (herbed rice with white fish), kuku sabzi (an herbed, baked omelet), and ash-e-reshteh, a soup made with beans, lentils, herbs, greens, and kaskh, a fermented yogurt. From food specials to events, here’s where to celebrate Nowruz in Atlanta.
Know of a Nowruz food special, pop-up, or food event Eater missed? Send the details to [email protected]. Check back for updates through March 22.
Kanoon Persian Cultural Center will host this year’s Atlanta Persian Festival on Piedmont Park on Sunday, April 7, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The festival will feature booth from Delbar Middle Eastern and Shish Kabob restaurants in addition to the Mediterranean Gyro and Cagen’s food trucks. Follow @atlantapcc on Instagram for more information. (Note: this festival usually coincides with Sizdah Bedar, but has been moved forward a week so it won’t conflict with Easter celebrations.)
All Delbar locations will have a table with the Haft Siin, a collection of seven symbolic items. They’ll also serve kookoo sabzi and a sabzi polo and mahi dish with red snapper, zeytoun salad, and herbed sabzi rice, from March 19-April 2.
Divan will serve sabzi polo and pan-roasted grouper from Monday, March 18-Sunday, March 31.
Le Bon Nosh will offer seared flounder and sabzi polo from March 17-23. Additionally, Le Bon Nosh’s March 21…
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