صبح نوروز

Nowruz morning in a quiet Tehran apartment. Soft spring light falls on a haft-sin spread on a termeh cloth: a dish of green wheat sabzeh tied with a red ribbon, a small bowl of samanu (a smooth caramel-brown wheat pudding), a dish of senjed (dried oleaster berries), red apples, whole garlic bulbs, a dish of deep red sumac, a small bottle of vinegar, painted eggs, a few coins, a mirror, a book of Hafez and a round glass bowl of water with two goldfish. A grandmother in a floral dress and headscarf sets one last pot of purple hyacinth on the cloth with both hands, while a girl and a boy lean in, chins on their hands, to watch the goldfish. Nobody else is in the room. The camera slowly moves in toward the table. Shallow depth of field, 50mm lens, warm pastel palette, a softly ticking clock and distant festive music.