Celebrated by greater than 300 million folks worldwide, Nowruz is a 3,000-year-old custom cherished in Iran, Afghanistan, all through Central Asia and past. However what makes it particular?
Nowruz marks the arrival of spring in Iran but additionally the start of the brand new yr. The identical is true in Afghanistan, the place the competition serves because the official begin of the photo voltaic calendar.
The exact second of the brand new yr, referred to as “yr supply,” is decided by astronomical calculations. It happens on the spring equinox, when day and evening are almost equal within the Northern Hemisphere. Every year, this timing is calculated right down to the very second.
If the brand new yr happens earlier than midday, that very same day is taken into account the primary day of the Iranian photo voltaic calendar. If it falls after midday, the brand new yr begins the next day.
For instance, in 2025, the brand new yr in Iran will happen at 12:31:30 PM native time (10:01:30 AM CET). Consequently, March 21, 2025, would be the first day of the 1404 photo voltaic yr within the Iranian calendar.
This technique of exact astronomical calculations was developed by Omar Khayyam, the famend Iranian astronomer, poet, and thinker. He additionally performed a key position in creating the Jalali calendar, which stays the premise of Iran’s present photo voltaic calendar. The place to begin of this calendar is the Hijra – the migration of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 AD.
The Origins of Nowruz
Nowruz dates again over 3,000 years and has its roots within the historic Persian Empire and the Zoroastrian calendar.
For Zoroastrians, Nowruz marks the creation of the world (Giti) and humankind. Through the Achaemenid period, the competition was celebrated with nice splendor at Persepolis, the place kings welcomed envoys and acquired items from throughout their huge empire. Actually, historic proof means that considered one of Persepolis’ major features was to host Nowruz celebrations.
The Zoroastrian faith, which predates the Achaemenid dynasty, performed a major position in shaping the traditions of Nowruz. Nonetheless, over the centuries, the competition has advanced right into a secular celebration, embraced by numerous ethnic and cultural teams.
Its endurance lies in its highly effective symbolism – the triumph of sunshine over darkness and the promise of recent beginnings, each in nature and within the human spirit.
Who celebrates Nowruz?
Right now, extra 300 million folks worldwide have fun Nowruz, marking not solely the beginning of the brand new yr but additionally the celebration of life and the triumph of sunshine over darkness.
Initially bringing collectively the peoples of Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia (together with Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan), Nowruz has unfold throughout the Caucasus, the Balkans, and different areas. It embodies a shared heritage of customs, traditions, and values, and holds explicit significance for Kurds.
In 2009, Nowruz was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Record, and the next yr, the UN Basic Meeting handed a decision declaring March 21 as Worldwide Nowruz Day, recognising its position in selling peace and unity worldwide.
How is Nowruz Celebrated?
Nowruz encompasses a wealthy number of traditions that fluctuate by area. Some customs happen simply earlier than the New Yr, whereas others proceed for as much as two weeks after. All through all these celebrations, the themes of renewal and hope stay central.
Spring Clear and Renewal
On the eve of Nowruz, as spring approaches, households totally clear their properties. This ‘spring clear’ or ‘dusting away of the previous’ is a symbolic act representing a recent begin and the purification of each bodily and religious areas.
Moreover, these celebrating Nowruz usually buy new garments, additional emphasising the spirit of renewal and new beginnings.
The Desk of Seven Symbols
The Haft-Sin tablecloth is a central factor of Nowruz, significantly in Iran. Artfully organized, it options seven gadgets, whose names start with the letter “S” in Persian. Every merchandise represents completely different facets of life:
- Sabzeh (wheat or lentil sprouts) symbolises rebirth, infancy, and life.
- Samanu (a candy pudding produced from wheat germ) represents abundance and blessings.
- Senjed (dried fruit from the Senjed tree) symbolises love.
- Seer (garlic) represents well being and therapeutic.
- Seeb (apples) symbolise health and beauty.
- Somāq (sumac) signifies the victory of excellent over evil and the rising solar.
- Serkeh (vinegar) symbolises endurance, getting old, and the passage of time.
Along with these principal symbols, different gadgets beginning with “S” could also be included, reminiscent of hyacinths and a clock.
The Haft-Sin desk is commonly adorned with mirrors, candlesticks, colored eggs, and crimson fish, which symbolize the passing of the twelfth and last zodiac signal, Pisces.
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Additionally it is widespread to put a Divan of Hafez’s poems or the Qur’an on the desk. Many households have a convention of randomly opening the guide and studying a poem or verse, looking for steering for the yr forward.
Fireplace Rituals
In lots of areas, folks participate in fire-related celebrations, reminiscent of “Chaharshanbe Suri” or ‘Purple Wednesday’ in Iran.
This celebration, on the final Tuesday earlier than Nowruz, includes households gathering round a hearth and leaping over it. The act symbolises cleaning, renewal, and liberation from previous sorrows, whereas embracing the heat and vitality of the spring season.
Conventional Meals
Meals performs an important position throughout Nowruz, with particular dishes ready and shared amongst household and associates. In Iran, households have fun the arrival of spring on the primary day of Nowruz by having fun with dishes like vegetable pilaf and sabzi polow (herbed rice), usually served with fish.
A standout function of the Nowruz feast is somālak (often known as sumanak), a candy dessert. Slowly cooked over a number of hours, somālak symbolises the gradual but sure arrival of spring and the promise of recent beginnings.
Visiting Pals and Household
Throughout Nowruz, it’s customary to go to family and friends. Youthful members of the family historically go to their dad and mom and older kin to want them a contented New Yr and have fun the arrival of spring.
In return, elders usually give items, usually within the type of aidi (money), identified domestically as da’di, as a logo of blessing.
In Zoroastrian tradition, this ritual represents mahrūrzai, a profound respect for the older technology.
Throughout these visits, households normally provide visitors quite a lot of snacks, reminiscent of nuts (together with pistachios, almonds, and dried fruits) and numerous pastries. Nonetheless, this custom is slowly fading in Iran as a result of rising value of residing.
‘Nature Day’
Siyez-e Badr is an historic Iranian custom celebrated on the thirteenth day of April, often known as ‘Nature Day’. It marks the conclusion of the Nowruz festivities and is often a time when folks depart their properties to spend the day open air.
Whereas the quantity 13 is commonly linked to dangerous luck in Iranian tradition, this custom of leaving the home is extra carefully related to celebrating the pure world and the top of Nowruz, fairly than any superstitions with the quantity itself.
