For this assignment I wanted to learn more about Persian culture. My interviewee was born in America, but his siblings were born in Iran. His family immigrated to the US during the 1979 Islamic Revolution. His mother only speaks Farsi, so he grew up speaking Farsi and learned English while in school. Regarding traditions, the main event that is most celebrated in Iran is the Nowruz, also known as the Persian New Year and first day of Spring. After conducting further research on this, I learned that Persians begin preparing their homes for this event weeks in advance and do a thorough house cleaning that consists of washing rugs, windows, curtains and other furniture (“Nowruz: Traditions for Persian New Year”, 2018). My interviewee mentioned that seven items that start with “S” were set on a table and I learned that these usually consist of herbs and spices that symbolize or represent rebirth, renewal, love, patience, wisdom, medicine, health and beauty, to name a few (“Nowruz: Traditions for Persian New Year”, 2018). Regarding food, the only utensils necessary are fork and spoon because most of the meat is prepared in a way that it just falls off the bone so there is no need to cut it. Since my interviewee was originally born in America, he was not too familiar with other traditions specifically unique to Iran.
