Nowruz · Worksheet 1
A New Year That Starts with the Sun
Read the story. 英文を読もう。
1In Iran, the new year does not start at midnight. It starts at the exact moment of spring, when day and night are the same length. This moment can come in the morning, in the afternoon, or even late at night. Families sit around a special table and watch the clock together. When the moment comes, they hug and say, "Happy Nowruz!"
2Nowruz means "new day" in Persian. People have celebrated it for more than 3,000 years. Today, people celebrate it in Iran, Afghanistan, and many countries in Central Asia. In 2010, the United Nations made March 21 the International Day of Nowruz.
3Before the new year, people clean their homes from top to bottom. On the last Tuesday night of the year, they make small fires in the street and jump over them. They ask the fire to take away their illness and bad luck.
4The special table is called haft-sin, or "seven S's." It has seven things with names that start with the letter S in Persian. There are green sprouts, apples, garlic, vinegar, and a sweet wheat pudding. Many families also add a mirror, candles, painted eggs, and a goldfish in a bowl.
5The holiday lasts for almost two weeks. Children visit relatives, and older people give them new money. On the 13th day, families go outside for a big picnic. At the end of the day, they throw their green sprouts into a river. The old year floats away, and spring is finally here.
- moment 瞬間
- exact 正確な、ぴったりの
- length 長さ
- Persian ペルシャの／ペルシャ語
- celebrate 祝う
- clean 掃除する、きれいにする
- jump over ～を飛びこえる
- illness 病気
- sprout 芽
- relative 親せき
- picnic ピクニック
- float 浮かぶ、ただよう