Nowruz: Celebrating the coming of spring: Shahnaz Kianian-Firouzgar

By Shahnaz Kianian-Firouzgar

Nowruz is a secular spring festival of Persian origin. It embraces spring on the first day of vernal equinox (i.e., 20th or 21st of March, depending on the year), and celebrates new beginnings and the rebirth of nature. The return of spring has spiritual significance as it symbolizes the victory of good over evil and of joy over sorrow. In Persian, the name Nowruz literally means new (“now”) day (“ruz”).

For over 3,000 years, the peoples of Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Middle East, the Balkans, the Black Sea Basin have observed Nowruz. Our oldest knowledge of Nowruz goes back to the pre-Islamic history of Iran. It is partly rooted in the tradition of Iranian religions, namely Mithraism and Zoroastrianism.

• In Mithraism, founded on the worship of Mitra, the god of the sun, justice, contract and war, festivals held a deep link with the sun’s light. The celebration of Nowruz signified the point at which sun would begin to regain strength and overcome the cold and darkness of winter.
• Zoroastrianism, believed by many scholars to be the first monotheistic religion, emphasizes the connection between humans and nature and struggle of good and life with evil and darkness. The ancient Zoroastrians believed that it was on Nowruz that the universe was first set in motion.

Despite the lack of substantial records stemming from destruction of Persepolis and its library by the army of Alexander the Great in 330 BC, Nowruz is known to have been celebrated by the royalty and people during the Achaemenid times (555-330 BC).

Nowruz is currently celebrated by more than 300 million people worldwide, regardless of religion, ethnicity, culture or language. It was included in the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on 30 September 2009 and extended in 2016, at the joint initiative of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. On 23 February 2010, the UN General Assembly recognized the International Day of Nowruz, noting:

“…the orientation of Nowruz towards affirmation of life in harmony with nature, the awareness of the inseparable link between constructive labour and natural cycles of renewal and the solicitous and respectful attitude towards natural resources of life.”

Furthermore, the UN encouraged all Member States to raise awareness about Nowruz and to organize annual commemorative events. It called on those Member States where Nowruz is celebrated to study the origins and traditions of its festivity and to disseminate knowledge about its heritage among international community.

Festivities marking the arrival of Nowruz share similarities with other spring festivals such as Easter, celebrated by Christians, and the Egyptian holiday Sham Al-Naseem, dating to the time of the Pharaohs. Nowruz traditions and customs have been passed down through the generations – and while they differ from country to country, there exist many common features, in particular:

• Spring cleaning of one’s home (khaneh takhani, in Persian) and buying of new clothes
• Charshanbe Suri, the prelude to Nowruz. In Iran, it is celebrated on the eve of last Wednesday of the year, and typically entails ritual dances, such as leaping over bonfires and singing “zardie man az to, sorkhie to az man,” in Persian (meaning “may my sickly pallor be yours and your red glow be mine”), as well as lighting firecrackers and fireworks. In Azerbaijan, Nowruz begins a month earlier and the festival is held every Tuesday during 4 weeks. Each Tuesday celebrates one of the four elements-water, fire, earth and wind.
• Spoon banging (ghashogh zani, in Persian), a tradition similar to the Halloween custom of trick-or-treating. In Iran, on the eve of Charshanbe Suri, children wear disguises and go door-to-door banging spoons against plates or bowls and receive snacks. In Azerbaijan, children slip around to their neighbors' homes on the last Tuesday prior to Nowruz, knock on their doors, and leave their caps or little basket while hiding nearby to wait for candies, pastries, and nuts.
• Preparation of a haft-sin table. The objects on the table symbolize rebirth, brightness, abundance, happiness, health, and fertility for the new year. Traditionally, the haft-sin table is set with seven items starting with letter “S” (“sin” in Persian):

1. 
   Sabze (sprouts grown in a dish such as wheat, barely, or lentils), for rebirth and renewal of nature
2. Samanu (sweet pudding from wheat germ), for fertility
3. Senjed (lotus tree fruit/Persian olive), for wisdom and affection
4. Serke (vinegar), for age
5. Sir (garlic), for good health
6. Sib (apple), for health and beauty
7. Somaq (sumac), for sunrise and spice of life

In addition, there are other symbolic items that go on the haft-sin table, depending on the tradition of each family. These include:

• Mirror, to symbolize reflection on the past year
• Orange in a bowl of water, to symbolize the Earth
• Live goldfish in a bowl of water, to symbolize new life
• Colored eggs and pomegranate, to represent fertility
• Coins, for prosperity in the new year
• Hyacinths, to symbolize spring
• Candles, to radiate light
• A prayer or poetry book
• Sweets

Shortly before the new year, family members gather around the haft-sin table to celebrate the exact moment of vernal equinox (sal-tahvil, in Persian).

• Starting on Nowruz and continuing for next 12 days, visiting family members and friends, and exchanging gifts. The festival is also occasion for traditional cultural activities, such as poetry, music, open-air festivities and street performances.
• Sizdah bedar, in Iran: The thirteenth day of Nowruz is a national day of picnic when everyone goes out to enjoy nature and the beauty of spring. The greenery grown for the haft-sin table, is discarded into running water, symbolizing the clearing of bad thoughts and bad luck from the previous year. Single people, especially girls, tie the leaves of the greenery with a wish to find a husband. Playing of jokes and pranks, similar to those of April Fools’ Day, also occur on Sizdah bedar.

In 2021, Nowruz sal-tahvil will occur on Saturday, 20 March at 09:37:28 GMT.

We hope you will join us in appreciating this tradition and celebrating the coming of spring!

Here is a link to a Tajik song celebrating Nowruz & spring ( for Tajik, Dari and Persian/Farsi speakers)

 

Notes: 

The spelling of Nowruz in English can take many forms, including: Noroz, Norouz, Nowruz, Norooz, Nooruz, Novruz, Nauruz, Nauryz, Nevruz, Navruz, Navröz, and Newroz.

 “Persia” is the Ancient Greek word for “Pars,” which describes the lands that stretched from the Indus Valley in present day India and Pakistan to the Nile River in Egypt. The people living in these areas were called “Persians.”

Sources:

• Khodadad, Rezakhani. History and Culture of Iran, Irancologie.com,
• Celebrating Nowruz: A Resource for Educators, The Outreach Center: Center for Middle Eastern Studies, http://cmes.hmdc.harvard.edu/outreach, Jaclyn Michael, Rochelle Rickoff, Paul Beran and B. summer Hughes
• United Nations General Assembly, Sixty-fourth session, Agenda item 49. Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 23 February 2010, 64/253. International Day of Nowruz (10 May 2010)
• UNESCO: Building peace in the minds of men and women. Nowruz: The Rebirth of Nature, https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/content/nowruz-rebirth-nature.
• “Nowruz.” Wikipedia, 13 March 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nowruz