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Nowruz is the name of the Persian New Year and marks the First day of Spring. It has
been celebrated for more than 3000 years not only in Iran, but in other countries as well.
Celebrating Nowruz has become so widespread that in 2010, United Nation's General Assembly
recognized the International Day of Nowruz. Canadian Parliament also added Nowruz to the
national calendar of Canada in 2009.
So what does Nowruz mean? The word "Nowruz" is a Persian compound word, consisting of
two words: "No" ,meaning "New" and Ruz , meaning "Day". Nowruz, therefore means that
a "New Day" has begun, signaling the beginning of the new year. Interestingly, despite its
popularity around the world, there is little agreement on the correct spelling of Nowruz
and numerous variations exist!
As their most important national Holiday, a typical Iranian family usually prepares
for Nowruz, couple of weeks in advance. They start with a tradition called Khooneh Tekouni,
which literally means "Shaking the House". Many spend days and days cleaning every spot
of their home before the beginning of the new year.
Close to the arrival of Nowruz, you might encounter men dressed in red on streets of
Iran, whose faces are covered in soot. Called Haji Firuz, these men are the heralds of Nowruz.
They sing and dance and deliver the news that Nowruz is coming. Haji Firooz is the sidekick
of Uncle Nowuz, the equivalent of Santa Claus in Persian culture. Similar to Santa Claus,
Uncle Nowruz, is also an old man with white beard, who brings gifts and good luck of people.
The most prominent symbol of Nowruz is called Haft Seen table and Iranians put extra care
to decorate it. Haft Seen, in farsi means " The Seven S's ". It has seven items that start
with letter "S" and each item represents an important symbol of life:
Perhaps the most important element is Sabzeh, which is wheat or lentil sprouts grown in
a dish. It is a Symbol of rebirth.
Sib (or Apple) is a Symbol of Beauty & Health.
Sir (or Garlic) is a Symbol of Medicine.
Serkeh (or Vinegar) is a Symbol of age and patience.
Sumac is the Symbol of The Color of Sunrise.
Senjed , or silver berry is the Symbol of Love
And finally, Samanu, which is sweet pudding is the Symbol of Affluence.
A Haft Seen table usually includes a holy or a well-known poetry book, a mirror , coins,
decorated eggs, lit candles , a bowl of water with goldfish and dried nuts. All in all,
Haft Seen tables are usually decorated elegantly and are very colorful!
Iranians start the celebration of Nowruz at the time of the Spring equinox, or the first
day of spring, which is around March 21st. This is the time of the year that sunlight
is evenly divided between the north and south hemispheres.
Traditionally, Iranians start the celebration at the exact time that Nowruz arrives. It
doesn't matter if it is midnight, 2 p.m. in the afternoon or 4 a.m. in the morning!
They dress up in their new clothes and gather around the Haft Sin table. Then they wait
for the exact moment of the Spring arrival. Many visit their closest family members right
after the arrival of Nowruz. For this reason, you might see many cars in the streets of
Iran at 5 a.m., if the exact arrival of Nowruz was 4:30 a.m! Interestingly, many Iranians
believe that whatever a person does during Nowruz,will affect the rest of the year. Therefore,
your chances are high of finding kind and affectionate Iranians during Nowruz are quite
high!
Nowruz celebrations last for 12 days. Schools and many offices are closed during this period,
when visiting friends and family is the main activity. Iranians regard the 13th day as
a bad luck day. In order to avoid the bad luck associated with the number 13, they go
outdoors for picnics on the 13th day of Spring. This day is called "Sizdah Bedar", which means
"getting rid of the 13th".
Traditionally, on Sizdeh bedar, some girls tie the leaves of their Sabzeh dish before
throwing it away. When they tie, they express their wish to get married before the next
year's Sizdah Bedar!
Happy Nowruz everyone! We hope you have enjoyed this video! Please share it with your friends
so that they also know about Nowruz.