MAIN Holidays & Observances Nowruz

Nowruz Mobarak!
Traditions | E-Cards | Recipes

Nowruz [or norooz, pronounced NO-ROOZ] in Persian means "New-day".

The celebrations mark the start of spring and the beginning of a new year.

It is a time of great joy and family celebrations that are shared by people of all faiths in many countries that trace their history back through the centuries to the ancient Mesopotamian civilization and the Persian Empire.

Minstrels, Haji Firuz, sing in the streets to announce the festivities and house cleaning is a part of the preparations. On the Wednesday before Nowruz bonfires are lit to jump over and children gather coins and treats as they visit neighbors.

Nowruz always begins on the first day of spring, and it lasts for 13 days. Families gather at Haft-seen or Haft-sinn, tables set with special traditional foods and other items to symbolize the family's beliefs and values. All of them begin with the sound of the letter "S" — Seeb - apple; Sabze - green grass or Sabzeh - wheat or lentil sprouts; Serke - vinager; Samanoo - a paste made out of wheat; Senjed - a berry native to the region; Sekke - a coin; and Seer - garlic.

You'll find other lists of the seven S sound items in the sites below. As often happens with such ancient traditions, a bit of variation has crept into the celebration in the centuries since it was first begun. Most haftseen tables also include a small fishbowl with goldfish and a mirror to represent elements of the earth and human counsciousness.

The sixth day of the festivities is Zarathushtra's birthday and special celebrations are held to mark the occasion. The 13th day of the new year is called "Sizdah Bedar" and the parks are filled with families bringing luck by spending the day out of doors. Young girls tie grass in knots on this day to wish for a good husband.

Nowruz is the beginning of the year for the people of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Tajikistan and a few of the Asian republics of the former Soviet Union. It is also celebrated as the new year by people descended from Persian and Iranian ancestors. The Kurds in Georgia, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey celebrate Nowruz as the new year festival. Many communities where people from these countries have settled also join in the celebrations.

Nowruz begins precisely with the beginning of spring on the vernal equinox, on the 1st day of Farvardin of the Islamic solar calendar usually on March 20th or 21st. In 2010, Nowruz begins on Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 17:32 UTC ...

Lord Now Ruz has come.
Friends, spread this message -
The New Year has come again!
This spring be your good luck,
The tulip fields be your joy.
Haji Firuz Song

May the New Year bring peace to all...

No-Rooz, The Iranian New Year at Present Times - Pictures of "Haft Seen" and "Sizdah-Bedar" and a good explanation of the rituals that surround the new year celebrations. The site offers many other articles on the arts and culture of Iran.

FarsiNet NoRuz, NoRooz, NowRuz - First Day of Spring, A New Season, A New Year - A complete resource including historical narrative, traditions and more from FarsiNet...

Happy Nowruz - IranDokht.com - This newsletter focused on the feminine issues in Iran has a whole issue devoted to Nowruz with plenty of information, articles and links...

Iranian New Year - Nowruz - Time table for when Nowruz begins in different parts of the world. Since it is based on the vernal eqinox, this event occurs in all of the time zones at the same time. If you are confused, don't worry, just pick the time that matches where you live and have a Happy Nowruz!

NOWRUZ The Zarathushtrian New Year - Another precise timetable of Nowruz in your area... you'll find it in this article at the very bottom. Very good section of the Haft Seen and history behind the celebrations...

Happy Nowruz - Zoroastrian Kids - Great kids site gives an easy to understand explanation of the reason for the holiday and how it is celebrated and has a nice myth based story. There's also a section on Zarathushtra's birthday.

Nowruz e-Cards and Greetings:

Free Nowruz Ecards - Nice collection of cards to send to sweethearts, friends and family.

Nowruz, Norooz, Nourooz, Norouz, New Year greeting cards - postcards - The title says it all... lots of cards to choose from.

Nowruz Recipes:

Persian Recipes - Recipes for stews and rice dishes and a nice Halva recipe...

Aunt Naheed's recipes for Nowruz - Complete ingredients and instructions for Sabzi polo va mahi (white fish with herbs and rice) and a baklava dessert.

If you know any Nowruz recipes that you'd like to share,
please add them to the Chiff Chef recipes section...