Azizan

Eidi and Nowruz visits for kids: what they are and how to do them from abroad

Eidi (عیدی) is the Nowruz gift that older relatives give to children, usually new banknotes or coins, which some families keep inside the Quran or another book until they hand them over. Did-o-bazdid (دید و بازدید) is the round of Nowruz visits: younger relatives visit the elders first, and the elders return the visit later in the holiday, with sweets, fruit and nuts on the table. A child needs only four phrases for a visit: «عید شما مبارک» (happy Nowruz), «صد سال به این سال‌ها» (a hundred more years like this one), «دستتون درد نکنه» (a warm thank-you to an elder) and «مرسی» (thanks). Below is what eidi and the visits are, a short exchange a child can practise, how to do the visits by video call across time zones, and a note on talking about the money at home. Azizan (azizan.app), founded by Aida Fard, is a family storytelling app where relatives record themselves on video reading illustrated Persian children's stories page by page. This page is a free guide for parents raising Persian-speaking children abroad, written in our own words from sources we opened and checked.

Azizan (azizan.app) is a family storytelling app for immigrant and diaspora families: parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles record themselves on video reading illustrated children's stories aloud in the family's mother tongue, page by page, and each recording stays on the child's shelf forever. Real family voices — never AI narration. Persian (Farsi) first.

What eidi is

Eidi (عیدی) is the gift older relatives give to children at Nowruz. Most often it is money: a few new, crisp banknotes, or coins, that the grandparent, aunt or uncle has set aside before the new year. Some families give a small present or sweets instead, and many give both.

How the eidi is handed over varies from family to family. In some homes the elder keeps the new notes inside the Quran and opens it to take them out when the child comes; in others they sit inside another book the family keeps, or simply in an envelope or a pocket. Coins (سکه) also sit on many Haft-Seen tables. Some children used to keep their eidi note flat inside one of their own books; fewer families keep money in books today. If your family does it differently, your family's way is the one to show your child.

Eidi is often given during the Nowruz visits, which is why it belongs with the visits below. The Haft-Seen guide covers the table and what each item stands for.

Did-o-bazdid: who visits whom

Did-o-bazdid (دید و بازدید) means "seeing and seeing back". In the first days of the new year families go from house to house to wish each other a happy Nowruz, and there is a gentle order to it:

• The elders first. Younger relatives visit the oldest members of the family first, often the grandparents, as a sign of respect. The elders usually stay home on the first days to receive them.
• The return visit. Bazdid is the visit back. Later in the holiday the elders return the visit to the younger households, so each visit is answered.
• The table. The host puts out sweets, fruit and ajil (mixed nuts and dried fruit), often with tea, and the guests are offered some at every house.
• When. The visits run through the first two weeks of the new year, from 1 Farvardin to Sizdah Bedar on 13 Farvardin, and some carry on longer. For Nowruz 1406 that is Sunday 21 March to Friday 2 April 2027; the dates are in the Nowruz countdown, and the last day has its own guide.

For a child, the visits are the part of Nowruz with the most people in it: new clothes, a doorway, a greeting, a hug, the eidi and a plate of sweets, then the next house.

What a child says on a Nowruz visit

Four phrases cover a whole visit. A small child can learn them in a few days by playing "visits" with a toy or a parent at the door.

A short exchange to practise:

• Child: «سلام مامان‌بزرگ، عید شما مبارک.» (Hello Grandma, happy Nowruz.)
• Grandma: «عید تو هم مبارک، عزیزم. صد سال به این سال‌ها.» (Happy Nowruz to you too, my dear. A hundred more years like this one.)
• Grandma gives the eidi. Child: «مرسی مامان‌بزرگ، دستتون درد نکنه.» (Thank you Grandma, thank you so much.)
• Grandma: «قابلی نداره، عزیزم.» (It's nothing, my dear: the usual reply when giving a gift.)

«دستتون» is the polite plural form used with elders; with a parent or a sibling a child says «دستت درد نکنه». More greetings, and the difference between «عیدت مبارک» and «عید شما مبارک», are in Happy New Year in Persian, and everyday polite words are in greetings and polite words in Persian.

Nowruz visits from far away

Families have long sent Nowruz greetings by phone to relatives who live far away. When the grandparents are in another country, the visits can follow the same order on a screen: the elders first, then the return call.

Pick a time that works on both sides. On the first day of Nowruz 1406, Sunday 21 March 2027, Tehran is:

Iran does not change its clocks, but Europe does on Sunday 28 March 2027, so from that day London and Berlin are one hour closer to Tehran. If grandparents live somewhere else, work out their time the same way. How to keep a call going with a small child is in video calls with grandparents.

A "visiting order" game. Before the holiday, lay out photos of the relatives you will call and let the child put them in visiting order, oldest first. Each day, call the next one: the child says the greeting, shows their new clothes or the Haft-Seen, and turns the photo over afterwards. Later in the week the grandparents call back, which is the return visit, and the child can say «صد سال به این سال‌ها» to them.

Eidi from a distance. Some grandparents send eidi in a card by post ahead of time, or as a bank transfer where that is easy, and parents give it to the child during the call. Where sending money is not practical, a parent can hand over a note in the grandparent's name while the grandparent watches on the screen. A recorded message can travel with it: on Azizan a grandparent can record themselves on video reading an illustrated Persian story page by page, and the child can watch it again through the holiday. For tips on that kind of recording, see how to record a story video for grandchildren.

Talking about eidi with your child

Eidi is often a child's first money of their own, so it is a natural moment to talk about it, briefly and lightly.

• The words come first. Help the child say «دستتون درد نکنه» while the giver is still there, on the screen or at the door. Opening and looking can wait until afterwards.
• Somewhere to keep it. A small envelope, a jar, or a flat note inside a favourite book, the old way. A child who can count can count the coins; counting to ten in Persian fits here.
• Let the child choose one thing. Save it, put it toward something they want, or buy a small treat. It is their eidi.
• Close the loop. On the next call the child can tell the grandparent what they did with it. Grandparents usually love hearing that part.

Children compare, and one cousin's eidi may look bigger than another's. If it comes up, the simplest answer is the true one: every family gives in its own way.

Related guides

• Nowruz countdown: 14 days of activities for kids, with the Persian words
• How to say Happy New Year in Persian, and the two New Years explained for kids
• Video calls with grandparents for toddlers

Questions

What is eidi?

Eidi (عیدی) is the Nowruz gift that older relatives give to children, usually new banknotes or coins, sometimes a small present or sweets. It is often given when the child visits the elders in the first days of the new year. Customs vary between families.

Why do some families keep eidi inside the Quran?

It is an old custom, less common today: some elders keep the new notes inside the Quran or another book the family treasures, and take them out when they give the eidi, for the blessing (barakat) it is felt to bring. Many families use an envelope or simply hand the notes over; all of these are part of the tradition.

What is did-o-bazdid?

Did-o-bazdid (دید و بازدید) is the round of Nowruz visits. Younger relatives visit the elders first, and later in the holiday the elders return the visit (bazdid). Hosts offer sweets, fruit and nuts. The visits run through the first two weeks of the new year, up to Sizdah Bedar.

What should my child say when they get eidi?

«دستتون درد نکنه» (dastetun dard nakone), a warm thank-you to an elder, or simply «مرسی» (mersi), thanks. At the door the child says «عید شما مبارک», and «صد سال به این سال‌ها», a hundred more years like this one, is often said with the greeting or in reply to it.

How can grandparents abroad give eidi?

Some send it by post in a card or by bank transfer where that is easy, and parents hand it over during a video call. Where sending money is not practical, a parent can give a note in the grandparent's name while the grandparent watches on the screen. The call itself can follow the visiting order: the elders first, then their call back.

Open Azizan — record a story for your child

Updated: 2026-11-03 · By Aida Fard

Hear when azizan is ready

azizan works now in your browser. If you like, leave your email and we will tell you when the full app and the app-store version are ready. Giving your email is optional. Privacy

Your email Notify me