Khoshmazeh
Ersta 2, 234 AC
Let me offer you this ruby cup of Aurian wine, the Sharab of our homeland, and we will celebrate the New Year together. Yes, I know that there were snowflakes in the blustery air this afternoon, and it is still as cold as winter, but the spring equinox is here and soon the flowers will bloom. It is 234, marking the 234th year since the majority of the Noantri passed through the Great Gate to their new home on New Earth. That number is a bit arbitrary, because pioneers had been coming through preliminary Gates for 50 years before then, preparing the way for the millions to come.
Our Aurian ancestors were among the pioneers, and some of the first plants they planted in New Earth's soil were grapevines. The first planters didn't know whether they would survive, even despite genetic engineering that made them compatible with the biosphere of the new world. We wanted to duplicate the environment of our many Aurian countries in the Old Worlds, rather than attempt to preserve an alien and possibly inedible ecosphere.
The grapes grew and flourished, and ever since they have become the symbol of our new homeland. Here is our celebratory table array which we set out in our homes and restaurants for the New Year. Sweet-tart berries, sweet grain pudding, the grapes in a bowl along with the Seeb (apple). Eggs from our domestic morgh birds. A bulb or two of Seer (garlic) and a small crystal cup of serkeh (vinegar) to remind us of the hardships of our Old World and our early days in the New World. And here are the non-food items: a Holy Book of our Scripture, a couple of little red fish swimming in a bowl, taken from the pool in the atrium of our house, and a handful of coins, polished up for prosperity. See this copper coin with the nine-pointed star on it? It's from the Old Country. Imperial Currency. I don't think it was worth very much there. These oil lamps are also replicas of ones from the Old Country. Even though we were persecuted for our faith, for our very existence, we still want to remember the Old Worlds. And here's another descendant of the Old World, the fragrant spring hyacinth known as the sonbol flower.
And what about the mirror? What does that mean and why is it on our festive table? This is a family treasure of mine. It was brought here through the Gateway, wrapped in a cloth of woven silver and carbon fibers, which it now rests on. The mirror, which is not made of metal or glass, has nouetic properties. We say that if you look at this mirror, you see not only yourself but your connection to the inner world, through the spiritual Barzakh or inner Gateway. We set these foods and symbolic things out not only for ourselves, but for the souls of the departed, the Fravashis, who gather along with us to celebrate the beginning of a new Earth year. The lights of the table, and the lanterns we light outside, guide them to our homes, so we can reconnect with them at a time when the Barzakh is especially transparent. What would you see if you looked into the nouetic mirror?
Let us celebrate and drink from the illuminated vine! Happy Nowruz (New Year) with all its lights and blessings!
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