My grandmother’s cakes

We have jumped the fires and knocked on the doors and saluted the moment night and day became the same. Spring is here and we are to visit the homes of our grandparents and uncles and aunts. For as long as I remember, we have always visited my great grandmother first. I know we’ll visit bigger houses with more beautiful Haft-Seens. I know we’ll be given more money by Uncle Babak. And I know that we’ll get to play with the cousins. But I love her face and the smell of her home and her stories of how we were saved from winter by an ancient king. And I love her cakes, which taste of the new year.

Nowruz is the largely secular Iranian New Year, which takes place on the spring equinox. A national holiday, people gather with loved ones, enjoy each other’s Haft Seens, and receive gifts from their elders.

Photo credit: masthead Stock Adobe, teaser Niloofar Farkhojasteh