It’s the first day of Spring, and the Nowruz!
Nowruz is the name of the Iranian New Year in the Solar Hijri calendar, also referred to as the Persian New Year.
Nowruz marks the first day of spring or Equinox and the beginning of the year in the Persian calendar. The moment the sun crosses the celestial equator and equalizes night and day is calculated exactly every year and families gather together to observe the rituals.
It is a secular holiday that is enjoyed by people of several different faiths. It is celebrated in Iran, of course, but also in the cultural region that came under Iranian influence or had migrations by Persians including Azerbaijan, the greater Kurdistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and other scattered populations in Central Asia.
It is a public holiday in Iran, Iraq, Georgia, Armenia, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and India. Also the Canadian parliament has passed a bill to add Nowruz to the national calendar of Canada in 2009.
Iranians around the world celebrate it, and there are many festivals dedicated to it.
Here’s a variety of photos showing traditional Nowruz table settings.
Nowruz table must-have: somagh (a dried red berry, symbolizes sunrise), sekkeh (gold coins to symbolize wealth and prosperity), senjed (dried fruit from the lotus tree, symbolizes love), sib (red apples, represent health and love), sabzeh (green shoots from wheatgrass or lentils represents rebirth and spring), serkeh (vinegar which symbolizes aging), sonbol (thy hyacinth which is a spring flower), a lot of sweets!
Enjoy and happy Nowruz to everyone celebrating it!
