For the Novruz Holiday families all over Azerbaijan start growing "samani," or wheat grass, during the first or second Tuesday leading up to the actual holiday on March 21st. This year to be in the true Novruz spirit, and to immerse myself even more, I grew a samani at my house to celebrate the holiday! (With Zeynab's help of course-she put the seeds on the plate, covered them and taught me how to care for them. But since then, March 1st, its been under my watch! :))
This first night I brought it home-Zeynab instructed me to leave it by the "pech," or heater, to put it int he sunlight during the day and to leave the cloth on, watering it through the cloth, until the green sprouts started showing.
I was so excited to see it grow! And it grew SO FAST!
It was getting soooo tall! I bragged to Zeynab, saying my samani was taller then hers, and she told me to stop putting it by the pech! It was getting too tall too fast and would turn yellow before Novruz!
Today-Its not yet the holiday, and I know it will get taller, but it is so beautiful and fresh, I just wanted to show it off! Families here decorate their samani with a red ribbon, a color to celebrate life, but I had to improvise as I only had pink ribbon. Samani is grown for Novruz as a symbol of new and coming life. As everything done from Novruz it is to welcome the coming new year and spring.
This first night I brought it home-Zeynab instructed me to leave it by the "pech," or heater, to put it int he sunlight during the day and to leave the cloth on, watering it through the cloth, until the green sprouts started showing.
I was so excited to see it grow! And it grew SO FAST!
It was getting soooo tall! I bragged to Zeynab, saying my samani was taller then hers, and she told me to stop putting it by the pech! It was getting too tall too fast and would turn yellow before Novruz!
Today-Its not yet the holiday, and I know it will get taller, but it is so beautiful and fresh, I just wanted to show it off! Families here decorate their samani with a red ribbon, a color to celebrate life, but I had to improvise as I only had pink ribbon. Samani is grown for Novruz as a symbol of new and coming life. As everything done from Novruz it is to welcome the coming new year and spring.
