Many nations in the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Bahá’ ís commemorate Nowruz, the Persian New Year. Take a look at the following article to learn more about it!
For many people throughout the world, Nowruz represents more than just a holiday. Add fire celebrations, meat- and rice-based dishes, and street dancing, as well as loud bangs on pots to the mix, and you’ve got a recipe for an unforgettable holiday.
But it goes much beyond that. According to the United Nations, the festival of Nowruz tends to promote principles of cooperation and unity across individuals. It’s a time for forgiveness and goodwill toward one another. Also, it’s time for contributing to cultural variety and camaraderie among individuals and diverse cultures.
What Is The Meaning Of Nowruz?
Nowruz incorporates the meaning of the terms “new” and “day,” which implies “New Day” in combination.
Nowruz is an Iranian holiday that has been celebrated for more than 5000 years. It commemorates the beginning of the first month of the Iranian calendar, Farvardin, and the beginning of spring. It is customary for Nawruz to fall on March 21st or the vernal equinox, which marks the beginning of spring in the Islamic calendar.
Also, there are many regions of the world that were originally part of the Zoroastrian faith that now celebrate this event.
For the first time ever, the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity officially acknowledged Norooz in 2009. In addition, people believe that the holiday is to encourage compassion, peace, joy, and tranquility. In addition, it is expected to be full of wonderful food, new clothing, and quality time spent with friends and family members.
Because it encourages cooperation and goodwill among neighbors, it helps to preserve and enrich the world’s variety of cultures and build bridges between them.
New Year’s Day plays a crucial role in establishing the bonds of love, peace, and good civility among individuals from different cultures. Eastern and Western cultures have affected their rituals and traditions via the exchange of human values, which may be seen in their observance.
What Is the Beginning and Ending Time of Persian New Year?
The first day of Nowruz is March 21, and the celebration lasts for two weeks until April 2, when it ends. When Nowruz breaks, all schools and the majority of businesses are closed. Farvardin 1 marks the beginning of Nowruz in the Iranian calendar, which lasts until Farvardin 13th.
What Are Nowruz Traditions?
As a celebration of the end of winter and the beginning of spring, the Persian New Year is filled with color and imagery that evokes a sense of joy.
For Persian families, Nowruz is a time to join together and share presents and greetings as well as visit each other throughout this month. Prior to Nowruz, there is a fire ritual known as Charshanbe Suri, which occurs the week before the festival begins. In the following, we will have a closer look on all the Nowruz traditions.
Buying New Clothes
Nowruz preparations include cleaning the home and buying new clothing. Also, it is customary for Parsis (Zoroastrians) to dress in gold and silver jewelry.
Freshening up for the New Season
It’s a tradition to “spring clean” your house before the new year and adorn it with flowers. Similarly, they color eggs. The meaning is the same – the eggs hatch and a better beginning arise. Moreover, keeping a goldfish alive for a whole year is considered a sign of good fortune, prosperity, and riches by many.
Haft Seen Tradition
In Iran, Nowruz festivities are not complete without the Haft Seen, a table adorned with seven objects that begin with the Persian letter “s.” During the period when the sun is directly above the equator, and the hemispheres of the earth get an equal amount of light, family members gather around this table to watch for the precise starting time of Nowruz. After that, Nowruz will begin and last for two weeks.
Additionally, people begin planting greenery (mainly lentils since they grow rapidly even in the absence of soil) in order to create the Haft Seen, which is a great traditional design for the Nowruz table.
There is a lot of abundance in Nowruz Haft Seen because everything in it represents wellness, prosperity, vitality, and success. Here is a list of the traditional Haft Seen objects for Nowruz, as well as explanations of what each item represents.
- Sprouted seeds, or Sabzeh: represents rebirth.
- Samanoo (sweet pudding): the sign of wealth and prosperity.
- Vinegar (serkeh): a sign of maturity and endurance.
- Senjed: represents love.
- Sir (garlic): represents medicine.
- Somagh (sumac): signifies the color of sunlight.
- Sib (apple): a sign of good health and good looks
Receiving Gifts in Persian New Year
It’s no surprise that Nowruz is a beloved holiday among young people. On this day, youngsters get a plethora of presents from their family and friends. In fact, they have a two-week Nowruz break from school and join a great number of events, parties, and family gatherings during this time. During the first day of the Nowruz, specifically, there are a large number of individuals who travel to see close friends and family. Furthermore, members of the community exchange a lot of food. On Nowruz, there is usually a lot of singing and dancing.
Persian New Year; Sizda Bedar
The primary Nowruz celebration takes place on the first day of spring but lasts for up to a month. However, the Haft Seen comes to an end in early April when families go on picnics with the greenery they’ve planted. As a manner of letting go of the negative karma and disease that has accrued in one’s house and family, the plants are thrown into a river.
On the occasion of Happy New Year 2022, here are some wishes, and messages, to share with loved ones.
Is There a Meaning Behind the Festival of Nowruz?
One of Iran’s most important holidays, known as the Persian new year, is Nowruz, which dates back more than 5,000 years. Actually, Nowruz’s roots may be traced back to the period when the first humans set up camp on the Iranian plateau.
See how Navruz grew to be a prominent holiday in the Persian area and its nearby regions by learning about its history and the tale behind its celebrations.
1- Ancient Farmers
For centuries, Nowruz has been associated with the ancient farmers of Persia. The majority of Iran’s people used to be reliant on agricultural and food production for their livelihoods. Also, to keep warm in the winter, farmers used to return to their houses rather than work on farms.
At the end of cold weather and the beginning of Spring (when the weather began to warm up again), the vast majority of the population, a large proportion of whom were farmers, would join together to labor and grow crops for their own use. Entering spring with such passion and returning to work with such joy is a major reason why Nowruz, which celebrates the beginning of spring, has gained prominence among the general public and is now one of Iran’s most frequently observed and beloved holidays.
2- Iranian King Jamshed
Nowruz is said to have originated in Iran during the reign of the legendary king Jamshed. During the reign of King Jamshed, Iran enjoyed peace and prosperity. Despite the abundance of food, there were no falsehoods, everyone was happy, and life was ideal in every way. But, the unusually cold weather in the area used to eliminate numerous living things and restrict all key operations in the region, such as agriculture.
Then, king Jamshid built a gem-encrusted throne and wore a jewel-encrusted crown to ward off the harsh winters. To get him into the sky, he had angels lift him far above the ground, where he sat, glowing brightly like the sun.
The monarch was like the Sun in the eyes of the people. So, a great deal of excitement and happiness spread across the nation because of this event. They honored the event and declared it to be the Nowruz festival of the Persian calendar. In general, these festivals lasted for a week. Moreover, their goal is to honor nature and the beginning of the Iranian calendar month known as Farvardin.
3- Old Babylonian Tradition for Persian New Year
In Babylonian records, the historic royal city of Iran (Persepolis) was established for the sole purpose of honoring the Nowruz festival, which was observed on the spring equinox in Babylonia.
What Religion Celebrates Persian New Year?
Even while Nowruz marks the beginning of the new year in Persian culture, it is also a religious festival for many people. In a word, people in Zoroastrianism and the Baha’i Faith honor Nowruz as the beginning of the new year.
Shia Muslims celebrate Eid-e-Nawruz, which translates to “New Year’s Eve.” After Imam Jaafar, the celebration of Nowruz became a way for Shia Muslims to remember the divine. A large number of Shi’a Muslims, particularly those in India and Pakistan who follow the Ismaili and Shi’a religions, value this tradition and maintain a fast on this fortunate day.
Many Shia Muslims celebrate the day at the tomb of Hazrat Ali at Mazar-e-Sharif. On the occasion of Nowruz, a bowl of Falooda, a delicious rose-flavored milk delicacy, is sent to Imam Ali’s tomb. When he discovered the purpose for this beautiful gift, he replied, “May each day be Norooz then.”.
Charshanbeh Soori – Jumping Over the Flaming Fire
There are two significant customs that occur during the last few days of the previous year, and this is one of them.
Ahead of spring, youngsters pound pots and knock on doors, begging for money or sweets, on the streets. Similar to Halloween, in that respect.
When Chaharshanbe Soori or “Red Wednesday” comes around, people congregate in public locations. In fact, they leap over bonfires while chanting traditional songs and repeating the saying, “Give me your lovely red hue and take back my sickly pallor!”
According to the Iran Chamber Society, the bonfire is a sign of brightness and goodness. As a result, people light it to wish each other good fortune in the next year.
Nowruz’s roots trace back to the ancient Zoroastrian faith, which placed a high value on fire. By definition, light and fire were a part of the religion’s “critical elements for maintaining life.”
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What Kind of Meal Is a Must-have for the Persian New Year?
While the idea of leaping over flames seems fun, there is nothing like the food served during the Iranian New Year. It’s a tradition in Persian cuisine to celebrate the new year with a feast of stews, spicy meals, and brightly colored sweets.
There are no substitutes for herbs. All of these green plants are abundant in a variety of meals, including fish, meat, rice, noodle, and bean dishes.
Sabzi Polo Mahi, a meal of fried fish and rice stuffed with green herbs, is the most popular Nowruz food. Another dish, Dolmeh Barg, is made with cooked meat and rice that is wrapped in grape leaves. Fesenjan is the next well-known Iranian dish, with pomegranate and walnut-flavored beef in a sauce.
The most significant aspect of Nowruz meal is that it people share their precise time with family, friends, and neighbors.
What Countries Have Nowruz Festival?
Nowruz is Iran’s most celebrated festival. Many other nations celebrate Nowruz, including:
- Afghanistan
- Azerbaijan
- Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Kurds of Iraq and Turkey
- Zoroastrians
- Shia Muslims of India and Pakistan
- Uygur
- Salar
- Tajik
- Kazakh ethnic communities in China
There are also Nowruz celebrations in metropolitan places. In these places, there is a large Iranian community, even in European countries like the United States and Canada.
