Iranians will be celebrating their New Year, Nowruz, this Saturday. Here's what this ancient tradition is all about and why it is so dear to so many people around the world.
March 20, 2021, may not mean much to most people in the world, but it is a very special day for people in Iran, and a few other countries, as well. It’s the start of a 13-day long, 3000-year tradition called Nowruz, and I’m going to tell you what this ancient tradition is all about and why it is so dear to so many Iranian people and other ethnic groups in the world.
In technical terms, Nowruz is the day of the vernal equinox and marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. More accurately, the exactly calculated moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator and equalizes night and day is marked as the first day of Nowruz in the Iranian calendar, and that is why, unlike Christmas, Nowruz is celebrated at different times of the day or night, with families gathered to observe the rituals together.
This year, the time of Sal Tahvil in Iran – the exact moment the new year begins – is Saturday at 13:07:28; which is perfect timing as families will be most likely awake and at home when the old year turns anew, sitting around the legendary Haft-sin table and wishing each other a happy new year.
Chaharshanbe Suri, which falls on the eve of the last Wednesday of the year, and includes jumping over bonfires while singing ‘My sickly yellow paleness is yours; your fiery red color is mine.’ In the metropolis Tehran, there will be lots of fireworks instead.
People in villages in Golestan province embrace the New Year by spending time in beautiful nature.
Going to the cemetery on the last Thursday of the old year to remember the ones who have passed away, and are no longer with us to celebrate the coming year. People usually put hyacinths or sabzeh (sprouts, which are planted especially as a Nowruz decoration) on the tombs of their loved ones
