Nowruz, نوروز, means "new day". It is the Persian New Year, it begins at the exact moment spring arrives, and it has been celebrated for something like three thousand years. For Persian speakers everywhere, it is the most important holiday of the year.
When it is
The new year begins at the March equinox, the instant when the sun crosses the equator and day and night are equal. This falls on 20 or 21 March, and the precise moment, called tahvil-e sâl, "the turn of the year", is calculated to the second. It can come at any hour: families may gather at three in the afternoon or at four in the morning to be together when the year turns.
Nowruz is the first day of Farvardin, the first month of the Persian calendar. It is celebrated in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, across Central Asia, among Kurds, and by communities around the world. Its roots are in ancient Iran and the Zoroastrian tradition, but today people of many religions and none celebrate it as a festival of spring and renewal. The United Nations recognises 21 March as the International Day of Nowruz, and the festival is on UNESCO's list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
Before the new year
Shaking the house
In the weeks before Nowruz, homes are cleaned from top to bottom, carpets are washed, and anything broken is repaired or replaced. This is خانهتکانی (khâne-tekâni), literally "shaking the house". People buy new clothes, and wheat or lentils are set to sprout in a dish so that they are green in time for the holiday.
The festival of fire
On the evening before the last Wednesday of the year comes چهارشنبهسوری (Chahârshanbe Suri). People light small bonfires and jump over them, saying to the fire: zardi-ye man az to, sorkhi-ye to az man, "my yellow to you, your red to me". The idea is to leave the paleness and troubles of the old year in the flames and take the fire's warmth and colour into the new one.
The haft-sin table
The centre of Nowruz at home is the هفتسین (haft-sin), a table set with seven things whose names begin with the Persian letter س, "sin". The meanings below are the ones most commonly given; families explain them in slightly different ways.
| Item | Persian | What it is | Said to stand for |
|---|---|---|---|
| sabze | سبزه | Sprouted wheat or lentils | Rebirth and growth |
| samanu | سمنو | A sweet pudding made from wheat germ | Strength and abundance |
| senjed | سنجد | The dried fruit of the oleaster tree | Love |
| sir | سیر | Garlic | Health |
| sib | سیب | An apple | Beauty |
| somâgh | سماق | Sumac, a red spice | Sunrise, and patience |
| serke | سرکه | Vinegar | Age and patience |
Around the seven there are usually other things: a mirror, candles, painted eggs, coins, a hyacinth, a bowl with goldfish, and a book, which may be the poems of Hafez, the Shâhnâme or a holy book, according to the family.
The first days
At the moment the year turns, the family is gathered around the haft-sin in new clothes. People embrace, wish each other a happy new year, and the elders give the children عیدی (eydi), a gift that is traditionally crisp new banknotes.
The days that follow are for visiting, did-o-bâzdid. The custom is that younger people call on older relatives first, and the visit is then returned. Every house has sweets, nuts, fruit and tea ready for guests. A typical New Year meal is سبزیپلو با ماهی (sabzi polo bâ mâhi), rice with fresh herbs served with fish, often with a herb omelette called kuku sabzi.
The thirteenth day
The holiday ends on the thirteenth day of the year with سیزدهبدر (Sizdah Bedar), when it is considered unlucky to stay indoors. Families spend the whole day outside, in parks, gardens or the countryside, with a picnic. The sprouted greens from the haft-sin are taken along and thrown into running water, carrying the bad luck of the old year away with them. Young people sometimes tie a knot in the grass and make a wish. It is also a day for harmless tricks, rather like April Fools' Day.
What to say
| Persian | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| نوروز مبارک | Nowruz mobârak | Happy Nowruz |
| سال نو مبارک | sâl-e no mobârak | Happy New Year |
| عید شما مبارک | eyd-e shomâ mobârak | Happy holiday to you |
| نوروز پیروز | Nowruz piruz | "Victorious Nowruz", a traditional wish |
Nowruz far from home
Abroad, Nowruz usually falls on an ordinary working day, and the equinox may arrive in the middle of the night. Families adapt. The haft-sin is set up a few days early. Sumac and senjed come from the Persian or Turkish grocery, or are replaced by something that is at hand. The turn of the year is shared on a video call with relatives in three countries, and the big meal waits for the weekend. Persian associations in many European and North American cities hold a fire-jumping evening and a Sizdah Bedar picnic that are open to everyone.
Chat rooms are at their busiest in the hours around the turn of the year, when people who cannot be with their families gather online to count down and exchange wishes. If you are invited to someone's home for Nowruz, bring flowers or sweets, admire the haft-sin, and say Nowruz mobârak. Nothing more is needed.