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Norooz: the Persian New Year

The Persian New Year holiday, alternately spelled Norouz, Nowruz, Nevruz, Newruz, or Navruz, coincides with the rebirth of nature on the first day of spring. It is celebrated by some communities on March 21st, or on the exact day of the vernal equinox, which occurs on March 20th, 21st or 22nd. Traditions include spring cleaning, family visits and celebration, picnics and the “haft sin” table.

“Norooz” is a Persian word that means “New Day.” It is celebrated in Azerbaijan, Afganistan, Albania, Georgia, as Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan, and among the Persian people in Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, and everywhere else. In addition to being a Zoroastrian holiday, Norooz is also a holy day for adherents of Sufism and of Baha’i Faith. In Iran it is referred to as an Eid festival, although it is not an Islamic feast.

Many people begin their Norooz celebrations with a major spring-cleaning of their houses. They buy new clothes to wear for the New Year, and flowers such as hyacinths or tulips. On the New Year’s Day, families dress in their new clothes and visit the elders of their family, then the rest of their family, and finally their friends. As there are many people to visits, the visits are typically kept short, but there is always a supply of pastries, cookies, fresh and dried fruits, nuts, tea or sherbet. Many Iranians now host large Norouz parties in a central location as a way of dealing with the long distances between groups of friends and family.

The Haft Sin Table

Another important Norooz tradition is the ‘haft sin’, an elaborate thanksgiving table, traditionally laid with seven items that begin with the letter ‘S’ in the Persian alphabet, which originally corresponded to seven creations and immortals that protect them. These seven traditional items are wheat or barley sprouts (rebirth), a wheat germ pudding (affluence), dried oleaster fruit (love), garlic (medicine), apples (beauty and health), sumac berries (the color of the sunrise), and vinegar (age and patience). Other items with additional connotations of prosperity and happiness may be added to further decorate the table, such as candles, mirrors, painted eggs (similar to Easter Eggs), rose water, a live goldfish, or a holy book. Families try to arrange this table to be as beautiful as possible, since it is a reflection of their good taste during the Norooz visits.

On New Year’s Day, families dress in their best new clothes gather around this table and await the announcement of the exact time of the vernal equinox on the radio or television. Once that time is announced, each family members kiss and wish each other a “Happy Norooz.” Gifts are exchanged, with children typically receiving money from their parents. Traditional New Year dishes include “Sabzi Polo Mahi,” rice with green herbs served with fish, “Reshteh Polo,” rice cooked with noodles, which bring success in life, and “Kookoo sabzi,“ an herb and vegetable soufflé.

Sizdah Bedar

The thirteenth day of the new year festival is “Sizdah Bedar,” which means “thirteen in the outdoors” – the thirteenth day of the New Year, the day in which you go outdoors and celebrate with music, dancing and big family picnics. The ancient Persians believed that the twelve constellations of the Zodiac each ruled the earth for a thousand years, at the end of which the sky and earth collabsed into chaos. So on Sizdah Bedar, you go outside to avoid the bad luck associated with the number 13! One tradition associated with this day, which often falls on or about April 1, is to play tricks on friends and acquaintances, similar to April Fools Day traditions.

Origins of Norooz

Norooz has ancient traditions, dating as far back as 15,000 years ago, when the mythical Persian King Jamshid is said to have introduced the Norooz celebrations. Jamshid symbolizes the transition of Indo-Iranians from animal hunting to animal husbandry. As humans transitioned to a more settled life, the four seasons played a vital role in their existence and culture. The beginning of spring was a great occasion, to be celebrated as the dawn of abundance.

Around 1200 BC, the Prophet Zoroaster introduced a pre-Islamic Persian calendar that included many feasts, festivals and rituals. The seven most important ones are known as “Gahambars”– the last and the most elaborate is Norooz, celebrating Ahura Mazda, the creator, and the Holy Fire at the spring equinox.

For many centuries, Norooz was celebrated as the most important day of the year by successive royal dynasties, involving traditions that survived the introduction of Islam in 650 AD and endured into modern times, such as public audiences, cash gifts, and the pardoning of prisoners. Today, the festival is celebrated in many countries that were territories of the Persion Empire, and by Iranian immigrants throughout the world.

As blogger Elham Binai writes “The good thing about being Iranian is that we get to start fresh twise a year, ones in January and ones in March. So if we have missed on our January new year resolution, we always have got the chance of starting in March.”

Some Norooz links:
Norooz International Cultural Foundation, Toronto, Canada
The Circle of Ancient Iranian Studies

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