Iranian New Year (Norooz)

The Persian calendar is different from the Christian calendar. 21st of March is celebrated by Iranians as the New Year’s Day. It marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the year in the Persian calendar. It is called Nowrooz or norooz which means “New Day” (No= new, rooz= day) and it is the most important holiday in Iran.

Nowrooz which is rooted in the religious tradition of Zoroastrianism is celebrated by people from diverse ethnic communities and religious backgrounds for thousands of years. It is a secular holiday that is enjoyed by people in Iran, Azerbaijan, Kurdish inhabited regions of eastern Turkey and Northern Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.

Preparations for Nowrooz

Preparations for Nowrooz begin in the month Esfand, the last month of winter with a major-cleaning the house or Khouneh Tekouni (literally means 'shaking the house'). It includes washing every single item in the house (even the walls, the curtains, carpets, etc.) and throwing all of the useless, old or dirty stuff out. People buy new clothes to wear for the New Year and flowers to decorate their houses in Esfand. All of these preparations are symbol of re-birth and throwing out negative habits or feelings.

Haft Sin

On the first day of Nowrooz, family members dress in their new clothes, gather around the table, with the Haft Sin on it, and wait the exact moment of the arrival of the spring. Haft Sin or the seven 'S's is the major traditional table setting of Nowrooz, the traditional Iranian spring celebration. The haft sin table includes seven items starting with the letter 'S' or Sin in the Persian alphabet.

The "Haft sin" items are actually more than 7, but people choose only 7 items from the list:

Sabzeh – wheat, barley or lentil sprouts growing in a dish – symbolizing rebirth

Samanu – a sweet pudding made from germinated wheat – symbolizing affluence

Senjed – the dried fruit of the oleaster tree – symbolizing love

Sir – garlic – symbolizing medicine

Sib – apple – symbolizing health

Somaq – sumac berries – symbolizing (the colour of) sunrise

Serkeh – vinegar – symbolizing age and patience

Sonbol – Hyacinth (flower) – symbolizing beauty

Sekkeh – Coins – representative of wealth

Other items on the table may include:

Mirror – symbolizing pureness

Gold fish – symbolizing animals

An orange in a bowl of water – symbolizing the earth floating in space

Painted Eggs – symbolizing humans and fertility

A holy book (e.g., the Avesta or Qur'an) and/or a poetry book (almost always either the Shahnameh or the Divan of Hafiz)

At the exact time of the arrival of the New Year (sal tahvil), family members pray and wish for a lucky year and then the gifts are exchanged. Adults especially give money to the children. Then the families start the twelve-day celebrations by visiting the elders of their family, then the rest of their family and finally their friends. It happens in form of short visits and typically, the youth will visit the elders first, and the elders return their visit later.

Sabzi Polo Mahi

The New Year's Day traditional meal is called Sabzi Polo Mahi, which is rice with green herbs served with fish. The traditional seasoning for Sabzi Polo is parsley, coriander, chives, dill and fenugreek. The many green herbs and spices in this dish are said to represent the greenness of spring.

Chaharshanbe suri

The night before the last Wednesday of the year is celebrated by Iranians as Chaharshanbe Suri (Chaharshanbe= Wdnesday, Sur= party or festival). The tradition includes people going into the streets and alleys to make bonfires, and jump over them while singing the traditional song “Zardi-ye man az to, sorkhi-ye to az man”. This literally translates to "My yellowness is yours, your redness is mine," with the figurative message "My paleness (pain, sickness) for you (the fire), your strength (health) for me." The fire is believed to burn out all the fear (yellowness) in their subconscious or their spirit, in preparation for New Year.

Haji Firooz

The traditional herald of the Noe-Rooz season is called Haji Firooz. He symbolizes the rebirth of the Sumerian god of sacrifice, Domuzi, who was killed at the end of each year and reborn at the beginning of the New Year. Wearing black make up and a red costume, Haji Firooz sings and dances through the streets with tambourines and trumpets spreading good cheer and the news of the coming New Year.

Sizdah be-dar

The thirteenth day of the New Year festival is Sizdah Bedar (literally meaning "passing the thirteenth day", figuratively meaning "Passing the bad luck of the thirteenth day"). This is a day of festivity in the open, often accompanied by music and dancing, usually at family picnics.

Sizdah be-dar celebrations stem from the ancient Persians' belief that the twelve 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 Nowrooz lasts twelve days and the thirteenth day represents the time of chaos when families put order aside and avoid the bad luck associated with the number thirteen by going outdoors and having picnics and parties.

At the end of the celebrations on this day, the Sabzeh grown for the Haft Sin (which has symbolically collected all sickness and bad luck) 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 (or grass in general) before discarding it, so expressing a wish to be married before the next year's Sizdah be-dar. Another tradition associated with this day is Dorugh-e Sizdah, literally meaning "the lie of the thirteenth", which is the process of lying to someone and making them believe it (similar to April Fools Day).