I’ve been seeing a lot of needless e-yelling about making Nowruz “less Islamic” by setting up the Haft table without using “Arabic words or letters”. Critiques aside regarding separating cultures that have been intertwined for over a thousand years now, I suggest instead that, if you want a quite Zoroastrian Haft table, you follow the model I used since I’m not Iranian and thus have never set up a Haft-Seen table but rather a Haft-Amesha table. Basically, an item is included to represent the purview of the seven Amesha Spenta as below:
- Spenta Mainyu (Humanity): Gathas, Shahnameh, or any other Zoroastrian-related text. A mirror can also be added.
- Vohu Manah (Animals): Feathers, Milk, or anything else representative of Animals
- Asha Vahishta (Fire): Candle, Divo, Incense, or anything that burns
- Kshasthra Vairya (Metals/Minerals): Silver, Gold, Salt, Crystals, or any other such Metals and Minerals
- Armaiti (Earth): Dirt, Moss, Terrarium, or anything that is Earth-y.
- Haurvatat (Water): Glass of Water, Fishbowl, Ice, or anything composed of Water
- Ameretat (Plants): Flowers, Trees, Grass, Fruits, Vegetable, or anything that grows from the Earth. Plant-based oils also work.
I hope this helps provide an alternative. Happy Nowruz!
Mazdayasni Online 