Sabzeh, a dish of sprouted wheat or lentils, is one of the most widely kept Nowruz traditions in the home — and unlike almost everything else on this list, it is not made in one sitting. It is grown.
Sabzeh is a small dish of sprouted wheat or lentils, grown in the weeks before Nowruz, and it symbolises rebirth — a widely and consistently described Nowruz home tradition, kept by families whether or not they observe anything else on this page.
A child plants the seeds, checks on them daily, and decorates the jar or its label while the sprouts grow — which gives the craft something a coloured-once page cannot: a reason to come back to it every day for two weeks before it takes its place on the actual table.
Sabzeh sits as part of the family's Haft-Seen table setting for Nowruz. A jar the child grew and decorated themselves is not a stand-in for the family's sabzeh — for many families, it can simply be it.
Typically a couple of weeks, which is why starting it well before Nowruz matters — check your seed packet for the specific timing.
Planting and daily watering work from about three with supervision; the waiting itself is a good, gentle lesson for that age.
No — any small container that lets the sprouts grow and be seen works. Decorate it however the child likes.
Part of our guide to World calendars & interfaith families.