Nowruz, is the name of Persian New Year and the oldest Iranian tradition, which is celebrated by Iranian people all over the world in the first day of spring (on March, 21) and in harmony with the rebirth of nature. It is the symbolic representations of two ancient concepts: the End and the Rebirth; or Good and Evil and originally is a Zoroastrian festival that takes about 12 days and on the 13th morning all people go on a picnic and is called "sizdeh bedar".
The word "Nowruz" comprises of two Persian words, "now" that means new, and the word "Ruz" which means both "day" and "time." Literally meaning the "new day," so it translated as "new year".
It has been suggested that in 487 B.C. Darius the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty celebrated Nowruz at his newly built Persepolis in Iran. Although, there may be no mention of Nowruz in recorded Achaemenid inscriptions there is a detailed account by Xenophon of Nowruz celebration taking place in Persepolis and the continuity of this festival in the Achaemenid tradition. A recent research shows that it was a very special occasion. On that day, the first rays of the rising sun fell on the observatory in the great hall of audience at 6:30 A.M. an event which repeats itself once every 1,400 years.
What do the Iranians' do for Nowruz?
Early in March and a few weeks before the New Year; Iranians practiced to welcome the new spring season with freshness and rearranging their homes. They clean every part of their house, dust furniture and wash carpets because they believe that cleaning house in the New Year is a way for keeping Evil away from the kingdom of Good and call it Khouneh Tekouni . They make new clothes, bake pastries and sprouting of seeds like lentil, wheat, or barley seeds as sign of renewal.
Another ceremony that will be held before Nowruz is Haji Firuz; he is a Troubadours disguise himself, paint his face black (black is an ancient Persian symbol of good luck) and wears a red costume, singing and dancing through the streets with tambourines, kettle drums, and trumpets to spread good cheer and the news of the coming New Year. Although it is very important to mention that Khawja piruz was as the ambassador of Ahura Mazda in proving the amenities and joy to people.
Chahar Shanbeh Suri or the Iranian festival of fire is another ceremony that is celebrated on the night before the Last Wednesday of the year. "Sur" means feast, party or festival in Persian, This which rooted back to Zoroastrianism is the celebration of the light (the good) winning over the darkness (the bad). People light bonfires in public places and hope with the help of fire and light, enlightenment and happiness comes throughout the coming year. They jump over the flames and sing Zardi-ye man az to, sorkhi-ye to az man (Give me your beautiful red color and take back my sickly pallor)!
They prepare special foods and distribute them on this night in order to make wishes come true some of these foods are Noodle Soup, mixture of seven dried nuts and fruits, pistachios, almond, hazelnuts, figs, apricots, and raisins.
Haft sin or the seven "s" is a ceremonial table or Sofreh which is the major part of Nowruz. It is a traditional table that includes seven items beginning with the Persian letter "?"; these items are sabzeh, samanu, seeb, senjid ,sir , Sekeh and serkeh and signify life, health, wealth, abundance, love, patience and purity; These items are also known to have astrological correlations to planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, and Sun and Moon.
Other things that Iranian put in their Sofreh are sonbol, aajeel, lit candles, a mirror, decorated eggs, a bowl of water with goldfish, a holy book like the Avesta, Qur'an, Bible, Torah or Kitáb-i-Aqdas, a poetry book the Shahnama or the Divan of Hafiz and traditional Iranian pastries like baghlava, toot and naan-nokhodchi,
Each of the above stated items has a special meaning and is the symbol of important thing in Iranian and life:
- Sabzeh (wheat or lentil sprouts representing rebirth , purity, opulence, and good fortune)
- Samanu (creamy pudding made from wheat germ regarded as holy and symbolizes sweetness
- Seeb (apple symbolizing health , natural beauty and fragrance)
- Senjid (dried fruit of lotus tree stands for love)
- Sir (garlic regarded as medicinal and represents health & recovering from evil )
- Somagh (sumac berries signifying the color of the sun at sunrise and the victory of good over evil
- Serkeh (vinegar representing old age and patience)
- Sekeh (coins representing wealth)
- Lit candles (enlightenment and happiness)
- Mirror (cleanness , honesty and sky )
- Decorated eggs (fertility)
The number 7 that has been a magical and a significant number for the Zoroastrians and symbolizes the seven elements of life. I.e. Fire, earth, water, air, plants, animals and humans. The items originally represented seven of the Zoroastrian yazatas or divinities including ?tar and asm?n.
However it should be mentioned that in pre-Islamic era haft-sin had been haft-shin and comprises of shir (milk), shekar (sugar), shahd (nectar), sharbat (compote), shane (comb), sharab (wine), and sham' (candle).
The number of light candles must be the same as the number of the offspring in the household. Often an egg accompanies each candle. It should be mentioned that the candles on displays must be allowed to burn themselves out. It is bad luck to blow out a candle.
In the new year's day, Iranian cook a famous traditional food called "Sabzi polo mahi" that includes Rice with green herbs and fish.
Sa'at-i tahvil
Only a few minutes left to the New Year time, people wear their clean and new dress ,gather around the sofreh haft sin awaits the announcement of the exact time of vernal equinox or Sa'at-e tahvil over radio or television i.e. s'at-e tahvil means the hour during which the old year ends and the New Year begin. It is the time to pray for health, happiness and prosperity and say "Eid-I shoma mobarak!" which means happy New Year , then the family members hug and kiss each other as part of the New Year greetings and Elders give gifts to younger members. The day after the first day of the New Year the youth will visit the elders first.
Sizdeh Bedar, 13th day of NoRuz
The thirteenth day of the New Year festival is the end of Nowruz and called Sizdah Bedar. On this day Iranian leave their houses and head for the outdoors to the bad luck of the thirteenth day. The concept of avoiding the number 13 is mainly to symbolize the will and the power to deal with all evil in the New Year.
"Sizdah Bedar" celebrations stem from the ancient Persians' belief that the 12 constellations in the Zodiac controlled the months of the year, and each ruled the earth for a thousand years at the end of which the sky and earth collapsed in chaos. Hence Nowruz lasts 12 days and the thirteenth day represents the time of chaos when families put order aside and avoid the bad luck associated with the number 13 by going outdoors and having picnics and parties.
People spend a day in the countryside enjoying the beautiful weather and at the end of this day; the sabzeh grown for the Haft Seen is thrown into running water to exorcise the demons (divs) from the household. It is also customary for young single women to tie the leaves of the sabzeh before discarding it, so expressing a wish to be married before the next year's Sizdah Bedar.
Sizdah-Bedar is also believed to be a special day to ask for rain. In ancient Iran, every day had its own name, and belonged to a different angel. The 13th of Farvardin belonged to the angel of rain.
UN recognition
In the mind of Iranians, the word Nowruz invokes colorful images which are sumptuous, elegant and opulent as well as delightfully simple, refreshing and cordial. Perhaps it is this very universal nature of the message of Nowruz that speaks to its wealth of rites and customs as well as to its being identified as the unique fount of continuity of the Iranian culture.
Today, the ceremony has been simplified. In association with the "rebirth of nature", extensive spring-cleaning is a national tradition observed by almost every household in Iran. This is also extended to personal attire, and it is customary to buy at least one set of new clothes.
The UN's General Assembly in 2010 recognized the International Day of Nowruz on March 21, describing it a spring festival of Persian origin which has been celebrated for over 3,000 years and was officially registered on the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
In response to the UN recognition, Iran unveiled a postage stamp. The stamp was made public in the presence of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during the first International Nowruz Celebrations in Tehran on Saturday, 27 March 2010. President Ahmadinejad also called for joint efforts to further acquaint the world about the meaningful holiday, adding that it could significantly promote global peace and justice: "Observing Nowruz will not only promote cultural values, but it will also help nations establish relations based on friendship, peace, justice and respect.