The Iranian pre-Nowruz spring-cleaning custom is called khaneh tekani.
Khaneh tekani literally means “shaking the house.” Before Nowruz, families traditionally clean rooms, wash textiles, rearrange furniture and sometimes repair or repaint parts of the home. The practice prepares the household for the new year and for visits from relatives and friends.
The custom is part of a wider Nowruz pattern in which physical renewal accompanies social and symbolic renewal. Families may also buy new clothes, grow sprouts and prepare foods before the holiday begins. The timing and scale of cleaning vary by household and region.
Khaneh tekani is not the name of the Haft-sin table, a gift exchange or a fire festival. Those are separate parts of the holiday season. The Persian phrase is also transliterated in several ways, including khāneh-tekāni and khooneh tekani, because Persian words have multiple English romanizations.