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When is Nowruz?
Nowruz is celebrated on the first day of the Spring. It usually
occurs on March 21st (but sometimes the day before or
after(.
The moment the Sun crosses the equator, when night and
day are equal, Iranian families gather together to observe
the Nowruz rituals.
However, the
Kurdish people
always celebrate the
new year on the 21st
March every year.
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Nowruz has been celebrated for at
least 3,000 years.
It is deeply rooted in the rituals
and traditions of the Zoroastrian
religion.
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Chahārshanbe-Sūri (in Persian: سوریهچهارشنب )
meaning Wednesday Feast
also called the Festival of Fire
• Bonfires are lit in public places,
hoping for enlightenment and
happiness throughout the
coming year.
• People leap over the flames,
shouting: ‘Sorkhi-ye to az man;
Zardi-ye man az to’ (Give me
your beautiful red colour; and
take back my sickly pallor)
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• Another tradition of this day is to make special ajeel,
(mixed nuts and berries).
• People wear disguises and go door to door knocking on
doors as similar to Trick-or-treating.
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In the run up to Nowruz
Houses are spring cleaned and filled with
flowers (in particular hyacinths tulips and
daffodils(
This symbolises the rebirth of nature
It is also customary to buy at least one new
outfit for the New Year celebrations
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On the first day of Nowruz
Families gather around a table to wait for the
exact moment of the arrival of the spring
when they exchange gifts.
On the table will be the Haft Sîn which
consists of seven specific items beginning
with the letter ‘S’ :
• Sumaq – sumac berries – for the colour of
sunrise
• Seer – garlic – for medicine
• Sonbol – apples – for beauty and health
• Serkeh – vinegar – for age and patience.
• Samanoo – a sweet wheat germ pudding
– for affluence
• Senjed – the dried fruit of the lotus tree –
for love
• Sabzeh – grown wheat, barley or lentil
sprouts in a dish – for rebirth
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Other things that may be on the table
include
• coins (for wealth),
• candles (enlightenment and happiness),
• a mirror (cleanness and honesty),
• decorated eggs (fertility),
• a goldfish in a bowl (said to represent unexpected
favours to be received in the coming year),
• rosewater (believed to have magical cleansing powers),
• and a holy book and/or a poetry book.
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• Nowruz lasts for 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.
• On the thirteenth day, families leave their homes and go for
a picnic in the country side.
The thirteenth day of the New Year
festival is called Sizdah Bedar
(meaning ‘thirteen outdoors’).
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The thirteenth day of the New Year
festival is called Sizdah Bedar
(meaning ‘thirteen outdoors’).
• Some people believe that if a person is warm and kind to
their relatives, friends and neighbours on Nowruz, then
the new year will be a good one. On the other hand, if
there are fights and disagreements, the year will be a
bad one
• One tradition associated with the 13th day is Dorugh-e
Sizdah, (meaning “the lie of the thirteenth”) where people
tell a fib to one another, similar to April Fools Day.
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Sabzeh
Sizdah Bedar often falls on or very close to April
Fool's Day.
It is also customary for young single women to tie
the leaves of the sabzeh, prior to discarding it,
symbolizing their wish to be married before the next
year's Sizdah Bedar
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Traditional New Year Food
Traditional Iranian pastries such as baghlava, toot, naan-
nokhodchi are always available to visitors.
New Year dishes include:
Sabzi Polo Mahi
Baghlava Sabzi Polo Mahi
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Some New Year greetings
Sale no mobarak is Happy New Year in Farsi
Nevruz kutlu olsun is Happy New Year in Turkish
Newroz piroz be is Welcome life in Kurdish
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The thirteenth day celebrations, Seezdah Bedar, stem from the belief of the ancient Persians 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 the earth collapsed in chaos.
Hence, Noe-Rooz 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.
On the thirteenth day, families leave their homes and go for a picnic in the countryside. The sabzeh grown for the Haft Sîn (which has symbolically collected all sickness and bad luck) is thrown into running water to exorcise any demons from the household, and the goldfish are also set free.
Some Nowruz celebrants believe that whatever a person does on Nowruz will affect the rest of the year. So, if a person is warm and kind to their relatives, friends and neighbours on Nowruz, then the new year will be a good one. On the other hand, if there are fights and disagreements, the year will be a bad one
One tradition associated with the 13th day is Dorugh-e Sizdah, (meaning “the lie of the thirteenth”) where people tell a fib to one another, making them believe it, similar to April Fools Day.
It is also customary for young single women to tie the leaves of the sabzeh, prior to discarding it, symbolizing their wish to be married before the next year's Seezdah Bedar. When tying the leaves, they whisper.
The thirteenth day celebrations, Seezdah Bedar, stem from the belief of the ancient Persians 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 the earth collapsed in chaos.
Hence, Noe-Rooz 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.
On the thirteenth day, families leave their homes and go for a picnic in the countryside. The sabzeh grown for the Haft Sîn (which has symbolically collected all sickness and bad luck) is thrown into running water to exorcise any demons from the household, and the goldfish are also set free.
Some Nowruz celebrants believe that whatever a person does on Nowruz will affect the rest of the year. So, if a person is warm and kind to their relatives, friends and neighbours on Nowruz, then the new year will be a good one. On the other hand, if there are fights and disagreements, the year will be a bad one
One tradition associated with the 13th day is Dorugh-e Sizdah, (meaning “the lie of the thirteenth”) where people tell a fib to one another, making them believe it, similar to April Fools Day.
It is also customary for young single women to tie the leaves of the sabzeh, prior to discarding it, symbolizing their wish to be married before the next year's Seezdah Bedar. When tying the leaves, they whisper.