A Haft-Seen table is the centrepiece of Nowruz in many homes — a table setting of symbolic items, traditionally seven, each beginning with the same letter in Persian. Exactly which seven varies by family, so we are not going to hand you a fixed list.
Families vary in exactly which items they include on their Haft-Seen table, and we would rather leave that blank than print a list that does not match what your own family actually sets out. Ask a family elder for your household’s version — one item we can say with more confidence is sabzeh, the sprouted wheat or lentil dish, which is widely kept across Nowruz-observing families.
Rather than a placemat with items pre-printed on it, a decorated mat with a few unlabelled circles or spaces lets a child place whatever items their own family actually keeps — sabzeh included, plus whatever else is set out at your table.
Handing a young child the job of placing items onto their own decorated mat, rather than an adult arranging a finished table, gives them the same kind of ownership the challah cover or Shabbat placemat gives in other traditions — a real job at the real table.
Most describe seven as traditional, but exact practice varies. Go with what your own family does.
Placing items onto a decorated mat works from about three with an adult nearby for anything fragile or hot.
It is widely observed as a secular and cultural new-year celebration, particularly in Persian and Central Asian communities, rather than a religious one — though families mark it differently. Ask your own family or community how they frame it.
Part of our guide to World calendars & interfaith families.