On Sizdah Bedar, what do families traditionally do with the sabzeh from the Haft-sin table?

On Sizdah Bedar, families traditionally throw the sabzeh from the Haft-sin table into running water.

Sizdah Bedar is observed on the 13th day of Farvardin, the first month of the Solar Hijri year, and marks the outdoor culmination of Nowruz. Families commonly picnic in parks, fields, gardens, or near rivers before discarding the sprouted greens they prepared for Haft-sin.

Sabzeh symbolizes renewal, growth, and spring. In traditional interpretations, it may also absorb illness, misfortune, or the previous year's troubles; releasing it into flowing water symbolically carries those burdens away. A related custom is sabzeh gereh zadan, tying the sprouts into knots while making a wish, especially a wish for marriage.

The ritual should not be confused with Chaharshanbe Suri, when people traditionally jump over fire before Nowruz. Sizdah Bedar is associated with nature, picnicking, flowing water, and the close of the holiday period—not burning the greens or eating them.