What
is Nowruz and how is the Persian New Year celebrated?
The Persian
New Year is celebrated by almost 300 million people and has been for 3,000
years in various parts of the world. What is known about the holiday is as
follows.
Iraqi Kurdish people carry fire torches, as they celebrate
Nowruz, a festival marking the first day of spring and the New Year, in the
town of Akra near Duhok
The ancient celebration of Nowruz, also known as No-Ruz or
Farsi meaning "new day," marks the arrival of spring in the Northern
Hemisphere.
The Persian New Year is celebrated by around 300 million people worldwide. It
has been honored for over 3,000 years in various locations such as the
Caucasus, Central Asia, the Middle East, the Balkans, and the Black Sea Basin.
What
is Nowruz?
Celebrated on the day of the astronomical vernal equinox,
which is typically March 21, Nowruz is a festival that heralds the end of one
year and the start of a new one.
The thirteen-day festivities provide a chance to think back on the past and
make plans for the future.
The celebration has its origins in Zoroastrianism, an ancient Persian religion
that existed before Islam and Christianity.
The UNESCO, a cultural organisations of the United Nations, states that the
arrival of spring has deep spiritual meaning and symbolizes the victory of joy
over sadness and good over evil.
"According to Zoroastrian tradition, the Spirit of
Noon, known as Rapithwina, who was said to have been driven underground by the
Spirit of Winter during the cold months, was welcomed back with celebrations at
noon on the day of Nowruz," UNESCO stated.
The United Nations General Assembly declared March 21 to be International
Nowruz Day in 2010, and the event is included on UNESCO's Representative List
of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Who celebrates Nowruz?
Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, India, Kyrgyzstan,
Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Turkey, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan are
among the nations that observe the festival due to its Persian cultural
heritage.
Minority populations in the Americas and Europe, particularly in places like
Los Angeles, Toronto, and London, also witness it.
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks in front of
the Haft-Seen table at the Persian community’s Nowruz New Year event in Aurora,
Ontario
How
do people celebrate Nowruz?
While the holidays differ from nation to nation, there are
some universal customs.
Some incorporate ritual dances that occasionally entail leaping over fires, as
well as symbolic preparations using fire and water. The fires represent the
symbolic clearing of the past year's negative experiences.
People get together with family and friends for the celebration of Nowruz, while
typical spring cleaning occurs in the residences prior to the holiday. Families
get together just before the New Year begins, exchanging wishes and gifts; the
oldest gives out candies, while younger family members receive cash and gifts.
But setting the Haft-Seen table is one of the most significant customs.
Haft-Seen
table during Nowruz
Persian
females are celebrating nwruz festival.
A fun family project is to make the Haft-Seen table, which
is a list of seven items that begin with the letter S.
Placing the seven S objects on the table comes first, usually followed by the
spreading of a special family cloth. These may consist of:
Sirkeh (vinegar): Symbolizes the patience and age that come with growing older.
Sikkeh (coin): For good fortune and abundance
Garlic, or seer, for health
Seeb (apples): For well-being and unspoiled splendor
Wheat, or sabbzeh: For luck, rebirth, and rejuvenation
Wheat pudding, or Samanu, is a sweet treat that symbolizes fertility, wealth,
and the sweetness of life.
Berries, or sumac: To commemorate the break of dawn and the start of a new day
In addition to this, the table may have candles to symbolise
light and happiness, painted eggs to symbolise fertility, a goldfish to
symbolise fresh life, and a mirror to symbolically reflect the previous year.
While many different foods are cooked for the celebration, "ash-e
resteh," or noodle soup, is typically served and is thought to represent
the "various possibilities in one's life," per Harvard University
research.
During the celebration, special treats like sugar-coated almonds and baklava
are shared since they are said to bring good fortune. Other delicacies include
fish that is served over special rice flavored with spices and green herbs,
which represents nature in the spring.
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