The global spread of the coronavirus is disrupting travel. Here, children celebrate the holiday dressed in traditional costume. Every March, million people from across the world take part in celebrations that involve leaping over bonfires, performing folk music and reciting poems, cleaning every inch of their homes and eating copious amounts of home-cooked food in the process.
Nowruz, commonly known as Persian New Year, is a commemoration of spring and fertility, and marks the overcoming of sorrow and darkness. The Muslim conquest of Persia in the seventh century led to Zoroastrianism being slowly eradicated, but its fundamentals — including a deep reverence for the four elements of nature — stayed put and birthed this public holiday still celebrated by millions across the Muslim-majority region. Although the principles of Nowruz are the same, each country weaves in its own unique traditions — and spells it slightly differently.
The new year is usually announced by Haji Firooz, a fictional, tambourine-playing character with ambiguous origins. In cities like Yazd and Isfahan , a festival called Sadeh honours fire for the 50 days and nights that precede Nowruz.
Traditional Nowruz dishes include kookoo sabzi a herb frittata and sabzi polo ba mahi a herby rice dish with white fish. Its traditions and rituals reflect the cultural and ancient customs of the civilizations of the East and West, which influenced those civilizations through the interchange of human values. Celebrating Nowruz means the affirmation of life in harmony with nature, awareness of the inseparable link between constructive labour and natural cycles of renewal and a solicitous and respectful attitude towards natural sources of life.
Each year, Nowruz marks a new beginning. Last year, the Nowruz celebration coincided with the early days of an unprecedented and devastating global pandemic. This year, the Nowruz spirit is more vital than ever. Solidarity between communities and generations is more crucial than ever. Nowruz is celebrated by peoples of many different religions and cultures across this vast region. The return of the spring was seen to have great spiritual significance, symbolising the triumph of good over evil and joy over sorrow.
In particular, the Spirit of Noon, known as Rapithwina, who was considered to be driven underground by the Spirit of Winter during the cold months, was welcomed back with celebrations at noon on the day of Nowruz according to Zoroastrian tradition. Nowruz is also associated with a great variety of local traditions, including the legend of Jamshid, a king in Persian mythology. To this day in Iran, Nowruz celebrations are sometimes known as Nowruze Jamshidi.
According to the myth, Jamshid was carried through the air in a chariot, a feat that so amazed his subjects that they established a festival on that day.
Similar mythological narratives exist in Indian and Turkish traditions, while the legend of Amoo Nowrouz is popular in the countries of Central Asia. On the day of Nowruz, there is much feasting, visiting family members and friends, and exchanging gifts.
A wide range of cultural performances and traditions also take place. Children are often given small toys, and traditionally play with colourfully painted eggs. Families and within communities share a symbolic meal, often consisting of cooked rice and vegetables combined with many local ingredients.
It marks the end of the Nowruz holidays in Iran. One widespread tradition is the preparation of a Nowruz table, on which a number of symbolic objects are placed. While these tables differ slightly from region to region, the most common features are: water, candles, dishes of green sprouts or Sabzeh , a traditional dish made out of crushed wheat sprouts, mirrors, eggs, and various fruits. These objects symbolise purity, brightness, abundance, happiness and fertility for the new year. Wheat or lentil representing new growth is grown in a flat dish a few days before the New Year and is called Sabzeh green shoots.
Decorated with colorful ribbons, it is kept until Sizdah beh dar, the 13th day of the New Year, and then disposed outdoors. A few live gold fish the most easily obtainable animal are placed in a fish bowl. In the old days they would be returned to the riverbanks, but today most people will keep them. Mirrors are placed on the spread with lit candles as a symbol of fire.
Most of the people used to place Qoran on their Sofreh spread in order to bless the New Year. But some people found another alternative to Qoran and replaced it by the Divan-e Hafez poetry book of Hefez , and during "Saal Tahvil" reading some verses from it was popular. Nowadays, a great number of Iranians are placing Shahnameh the Epic of Kings of Ferdowsi on their spread as an Iranian national book. They believe that Shahnameh has more Iranian identity values and spirits, and is much suitable for this ancient celebration.
Then they give presents to each other traditionally cash, coins or gold coins , usually older ones to the younger ones.
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