- Appreciation for Nowruz has expanded beyond the Persian population, as many groups have organised efforts to educate non-Persians about the holiday as well.
- The UN's General Assembly recognised March 21 the International Day of Nowruz in 2010, describing it as a spring festival of Iranian origin.
Image: ALI POURMARJAN
Many cultures celebrate their new years in the wintertime, following lunar-based or Gregorian calendars. But one culture’s annual festivities align with the first day of spring: the Persian New Year.
Persian New Year, or Nowruz, usually occurs on March 21, with festivities continuing for 14 days through the beginning of April. Nowruz translates to 'new day' in English and serves as a celebration of springtime and new beginnings for more than 300 million people worldwide. The 2024 Nowruz marks the year 1403 on the Persian calendar and will ring exactly on March 20.
Celebrated at the exact moment of the spring equinox, this is a festival with roots that go back to more than 3,000 years.
It is not a coincidence that Nowruz begins at the spring equinox when the sun crosses the equator and day and night is of equal length. The Iranian calendar is a solar calendar, which means that it uses astronomical observations to determine time based on the Earth's rotation around the sun. As a result, the natural phenomenon of the vernal equinox always ushers in the New Year.
Nowruz is celebrated by hundreds of millions of people from ethno-linguistic groups in several countries, including Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey.
From a wider perspective, it is also observed by communities in countries as far away as Georgia, Albania, Kosovo, China and India and even the East African coastal region by the Shirazis who refers to it as “Siku ya Noroozi” due to the effect of the Persian civilisation in the east African coast.
Nowruz is much more than a festivity. It’s a reflection of nature’s revival and a testament to unity and harmony, deeply embedded in the Iranian psyche.
The festival comes with its own special customs that includes gift exchanges, reciting poetry, symbolic objects and more. These customs differ between the diverse peoples and countries.
Families take advantage of the two-week Nowruz holidays to join together for house visits and outdoor fun events. People also exchange gifts and money to congratulate each other on the advent of the New Year.
Traditionally, Iranians decorate a Nowruz table known as 'Haft seen', which serves as a traditional and symbolic focal point of Nowruz celebrations in Iran.
Other items such as coins, flowers, mirror and candle sticks and decorated eggs are also put on the haft sin table to bring good luck, wealth and happiness for the family.
The Holy Quran also has a special place on the table. And let’s not forget the goldfish, which is favourite, especially to the children.
On the eve of Nowruz festivities, it is a tradition for Iranians to say this supplication: "O Allah, who is the Controller of the hearts and the eyes, and the Disposer of the order of the night and the day, O Changer of the state of affairs, Make us the best of it."
After this prayer, the elders of the family and family members congratulate each other and wish to start a new year afresh and leave all the ugly things behind in the past year.
Nowruz is a day of sympathy, unity, kindness and friendship between family members and relatives, and that's why all family members gather in the homes of the elders and wherever they are in the country, they reach for that ceremony to taste togetherness and ignore each other's ills, and to harmonise their inner and outer life with the beauties of nature.
Ancient literature and Persian poetry are full of poems and speeches about Nowruz and spring of nature, Persian poets Molavi, Hafez, Saadi, Omar Khayyam, Nezami Ganjavi, Shahriar and dozens of old and contemporary Persian poets have poems about Nowruz that describes all the customs of the Persian New year.
The festivities culminate in Sizdah Bedar or nature day, which falls on the 13th day of the New Year. This is a day that has to be spent outdoors. Families leave their houses for picnics, outdoor games, strolls in nature and bask in nature’s bounty.
Sizdah Bedar is more than just a tradition—it’s a testament to the country’s rich cultural tapestry. While Nowruz ushers in the Iranian New Year, Sizdah Bedar encourages everyone to embrace the outdoors and revel in nature’s wonders.
In recent years, appreciation for Nowruz has expanded beyond the Persian population, as many groups have organised efforts to educate non-Persians about the holiday as well.
The UN's General Assembly recognised March 21 the International Day of Nowruz in 2010, describing it as a spring festival of Iranian origin.
The writer is a political commentator