Nowruz, the Persian new year

Nowruz is the heart of the Persian year, a 2,500-year-old festival that welcomes spring.

Nowruz نوروز means "new day," and it marks the Persian new year at the spring equinox, around 21 March. It is celebrated by tens of millions of people across Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia, and the diaspora.

The Haft-Sin table

Families set a Haft-Sin هفت‌سین, a table of seven symbolic items whose names start with the Persian letter "s": sabzeh (sprouts, rebirth), seeb (apple, beauty), seer (garlic, health), senjed (oleaster, love), somagh (sumac, sunrise), serkeh (vinegar, patience), and samanu (sweet pudding, strength).

Fire and the outdoors

Chaharshanbe Suri چهارشنبه‌سوری, on the last Wednesday eve before Nowruz, involves jumping over small bonfires for luck and health. The festival closes with Sizdah Bedar سیزده‌بدر, the thirteenth day, spent outdoors in nature.

Greetings and gifts

The greeting is Nowruz mobarak نوروز مبارک or sale no mobarak (happy new year). Children and younger relatives often receive eydi, gift money, from elders.

Knowing Nowruz, its Haft-Sin, and its greetings gives you a window into what Persian culture treasures most: renewal, family, and the turn of the seasons.