The Iranian Norooz the New Year is also the beginning of Spring

The Iranian Norooz the New Year starts at the beginning of spring and is recognized since 2010 from the UN’s General Assembly as an international day of Nowruz and from The UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Norooz, the beginning of the Iranian New Year goes back partly to the Zoroastrian tradition. It is the first day of spring, the start of the Persian Solar Hijri calendar, which is one of the oldest and most accurate solar calendars used today.

 Norooz Haft Seen

Norooz has been celebrated for over 3000 years.

The followers of Zarathushtra are going into the 3752nd year.

This is one of Zarathushtra’s teachings, he said :

“Everything that is created was first a Thought.

So let your Thoughts be Good

Good Thoughts are those that are in harmony with the Wisdom in Creation

Let your Good Thoughts be known through Good Words

For that’s when Creation first comes into being

ZARATHUSHTRA – GATHA – YASNA HA. 28.11 (FR)

Therefore

GOOD THOUGHTS – GOOD WORDS – GOOD DEEDS”

Norooz now in our time:

Norooz 2014 was Thursday 20 March at 16:57 UTC or 12:57 PM EDT

Before Norooz everybody does” Khuneh Tekouni” which means “shaking the house: – Major spring cleaning, Persian and Indo-Iranian groups also prepare this way for Norooz the New Year.

They buy new clothes to wear and flowers.

Chaharshanbeh Suri

It is a tradition to celebrate the last Wednesday eve of the year called Chaharshanbe Surî  or Festival of fire.

Chaharshanbe means Wednesday and Surî mean red, People make bonfires, jump over it and say “zardi-ye man az toh, sorkhi-ye toh az man”. This means “my yellow is for you, your red is for me”This means the fire takes problems sickness and suffering away and gives energy and warmth back. It is believed that the fire burns all the fear out of the spirit and prepares for the new time to come.

Different kinds of sweets and nuts are served one is named “Ajile moshgel gosha”means “problem-solving nuts”, clearing all problems of the last year to have a better start into the new one.

It comes from the Zoroastrian tradition, that people decorate for Norooz the New Year a table with“Haft Seen”, means seven S’s.

The seven S’s are:

Sabzeh -wheat or other sprouts growing in a dish – symbolizing rebirth

Samanu -is a pudding made from wheat germ – symbolizing abundance

Senjed -is a Wild Olive fruit – symbolizing love

Sir – garlic – symbol of health

Sib – apples – symbol of beauty and health

Somaq -sumac is red and symbolizes sunrise and victory of the good.

Serkeh -vinegar – symbol of patience and long living.

also on the table

sekkeh – coins symbol for wealth

a mirror-symbol of honesty and cleanness

candles or a lamp for happiness and enlightenment

painted eggs symbol of fertility

a hyacinth plant – sombol

rosewater and Ajeel which are mixed nuts not to forget a bowl of water with goldfish which is because the sun is leaving the sign of Pisces.

This is the symbols on the Norooz table, some people add books of poems like Shahnameh or the Divan of Hafez or a holy book.

On Norooz day usually, family members gather around the Haft Seen table and exchange some gifts like sweets and the kids get new coins or new money bills.

During the holiday’s people visit each other and come together to celebrate.

The traditional food on Norooz is Sabzi Polo Mahi, it is rice with herbs and fish.

And the Hajji Firuz is coming as well, he is the keeper of the fire and has a black face(means good luck), wears a red costume, and sings and dances. The kids like him very much.

“Sale no Mubarak”

Everybody wishes “Sale no Mubarak” is like a happy new year.

      Sizdah Bedar

The New years festival ends with Sizdah Bedar, which is the 13th day of the new year and everybody goes out of the house into nature, wherever there is green grass, trees, water and the possibility of lighting a fire, on this day people can be seen outside. The whole family with Samovar and BBQ is celebrating outside in nature.

People throw the sabzi of the haft seen into a river or another running water.

Before this girls make knots into the leaves of the greens if they would like to find a husband.before the next new year.

Throwing the greens into the water means all sickness and bad luck is going away.

Now all is ready for a great Norooz the New Year.

Let’s celebrate all together the New Year, begin of spring and awakening of nature.

Norooz the New Year is celebrated by Zoroastrians, Sufis, Ismailis, Alevis, Alawites, Babis, Bahá’ís

in Azerbaijan, India, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan

not official in Bosnia, Caucasus, Crimea, India, Macedonia, Serbia,

among Uyghur and Salars of China.

Some spell the word Norooz  different: Nourooz, Nouruz, Norouz, Norooz, Narooz, Nawru, Nauruz, Nawroz, Noruz, Nohrooz, Novruz, Nauroz, Navroz, Naw-Rúz, Nowroj, Navroj, Nevruz, Newroz, Navruz, Navrez, Nooruz, Nauryz, Nevruz, Nowrouz, Наврӯз, ნავრუზი (Georgian), नवरेह (Kashmiri), નવરોઝ (Parsi Gujarati), नौरोज़ (Hindi-Urdu)

See also The Law of Gratitude One Of The Universal Principles