Nowruz is the name of Persian New Year, also known as the Iranian New Year, which is celebrated annually on the first day of the first month (Farvardin) of the Iranian calendar. Various ethnolinguistic groups welcome this holiday, the exact moment of Spring Equinox when the sun passes above the equator. This usually happens on March 21.
From Iran and Afghanistan, all the way to Central Asia and Northern India, a wave of festivities illuminate the skies, dazzling millions of people as spectacular fireworks and beautiful greetings welcome the arrival of Nowruz: The Persian New Year!
Just as the Sun crosses the equator on the vernal equinox, people in many countries all over the world will celebrate the beginning of a new Persian year and the arrival of spring and rebirth of nature. How will they celebrate and what customs and traditions they follow on this day? This article here covers all you need to know about Nowruz celebrations, Persian New Year traditions, and various styles of celebration observed in different countries around the globe.
Nowruz (Persian New Year): What Is It?
Nowroz is the Persian name for the Persian New Year or the Iranian New Year. The holiday is observed on the first day of Farvardin (Iran’s first calendar month), or the exact moment of the spring equinox. This usually occurs on March 20 or 21st.
Nowruz is a public holiday in Iran, and the celebrations continue for two weeks from March 21st (Farvardin 1) to April 2nd (Farvardin 13). The day is widely observed in areas which were once part of the Persian Empire and is believed to promote peace, unity, and love.
Nowruz was officially registered on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009.
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What Is Nowruz or The Persian New Year (Explained)
Nowruz Celebrations & Traditions: When it is celebrated?
Nowruz is celebrated on the exact moment of spring, vernal, or March equinox. This usually occurs on March 20th or March 21st. The equinox marks the beginning of spring and the end of winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
Celebrations for Nowruz begin at the exact moment of Equinox when the sun passes above the equator. It’s the point when night and day are of the same length.
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Nowruz or Persian New Year Date & Time For All Countries
- Nowruz : Thursday, 21 March
- Nowruz : Friday, 20 March
- Nowruz : Sunday, 21 March
- Nowruz 2022: Monday, 21 March
- Nowruz 2023: Tuesday, 21 March
- Nowruz 2024: Wednesday, 20 March
- Nowruz 2025: Friday, 21 March
Celebrating Nowruz: Important Customs & Traditions
The celebrations of Nowruz start at the Persian New Year, at the spring equinox (around March 20) when the Sun shines directly on the equator and the length of the day and the night are almost the same.
There have been celebrations to mark the beginning of Persian new year for thousands of years. In ancient ages, Persian rulers have greatly stressed the importance of Nowruz and invited people from different parts of the world who were followers of different religions, to the Royal court for Nowruz celebrations and festivities. Today even after thousands of years, Nowruz remains to be the most loved festival with around 300 million people celebrating it on yearly basis.
The following is an overview of customs, traditions, and rituals associated with Nowruz. Let’s take a look at how Nowruz is celebrated and what are Nowruz traditions.
1). Haji Firouz (The Persian Santa Claus)
Haji Firouz also was known as Santa Claus of Nowruz holiday, is a famous Persian folk character that hands out Nowruz gifts to children and sings joyous songs on Persian New Year.
He is referred to as the Zoroastrian fire keeper, as his face and hands are painted black to represent ash from the fire. He wears a red shroud and a red felt hat, sings Nowruz songs, plays a tambourine or drum in city streets and squares, gives gifts to children, and bring joyfulness to the Nowruz festivity.
2). Spring Cleaning of Home
‘Spring cleaning‘ is an essential part of Nowruz traditions. People start preparing their homes for Nowruz weeks before the holiday.
The spring cleaning of the home, known as khoneh takooni in Farsi, includes washing rugs, repairing furniture, cleaning windows and curtains, purchasing new decoration for home, and donating old household goods. All this is done to welcome Persian New Year and greet the beginning of spring.
3). Leaping Over Fire
On the last Wednesday of the year, the celebrants of Nowruz observe a common Nowruz tradition known as Chaharshanbe Suri.
People gather together in a large area to make a bonfire and jump over the flames in a ritual while singing the traditional Nowruz song:
“Give me your wonderful red color, And take back my unhealthy paleness”
According to the celebrants of Nowruz, jumping over the fire burns out all the bad luck and fear in your soul, and ensures good health for the new year.
4). Nowruz Haft Seen Table
One of the most important Nowruz tradition is setting the Nowruz Table, known as Haft Seen, which includes seven symbolic items all starting with an “s” sound in the Persian language.
Iranian families gather around a Haft Seen, which is the traditional table setting to welcome the new year and the fresh starts of spring. The table consists of seven items that in Farsi begin with the letter “s”:
- Sabzeh (lentil sprout grass): Symbolizing rebirth and renewal
- Saman (sweet pudding): Symbolizing affluence and fertility
- Senjed (sweet, dried fruit of lotus tree): For love and affection
- Seer (garlic): For medicine and ensuring good health
- Seeb (apple): Symbolizing good health and beauty
- Somaq (Sumac berries): For recalling the color of the sunrise
- Serkeh (vinegar): Symbolizing age and wisdom
Other items that some people also use to decorate their Haft-Seen table include Decorated eggs for fertility and good luck, live goldfish in a bowl to represent new life, coins for prosperity and success, a mirror to reflect on the past year, and a religious book such as Quran for spirituality.
5). Traditional Nowruz Food for Persian New Year
Like all other great holidays, Nowruz traditional food is the main component of New Year Celebration and there is special Iranian New Year food served during the festivities.
For Chahar Shanbeh Soori, which is on the last Wednesday of the year, Nowruz celebrants make wishes and distribute a traditional soup of roasted nuts, apricots, raisins, dried figs, and garbanzo beans.
Another famous soup called, Ash Reshteh, is generally served around Nowrouz. This soup is loaded up with noodles and different sorts of beans. The noodle ties speak to the numerous possibilities for the coming year and untangling these noodles is thought to bring favorable luck.
Sabzi pollo mahi, is a typical fish and rice dish served on Nowrouz. The rice is blended with green herbs to symbolize the coming spring.
A few sorts of desserts and dishes which are also during Nowruz holiday include:
- Baklava: a flaky pastry sweetened with rosewater
- Naan bereng: sweet cookies from rice flour
- Noghl: sugar-coated almonds
- Samanu: a sweet pudding made using sprouted wheat
- Kuku Sabzi: a frittata prepared with eggs and herbs
- Ajil: A common snack to welcome guests on Nowroz, made with nuts, roasted chickpeas, and apricots.
- Faloodeh: A sweet dish with creamy texture made from milk and cream
6). The Nowruz Celebrations & Traditions Countdown
Just a few minutes before the arrival of Nowruz, Iranian families gather together around Haft-Seen Table and watch the final Nowruz countdown on televisions. The moment when the vernal equinox occurs, everyone exchanges Nowruz greetings and distribute sweets.
7). Greeting “NoRooz Mubarak”
Iranians get ready for the event by cleaning their homes, preparing for visitors to come over and share the traditional Nowruz dinners.
People start making short visits to the homes of loved ones for the duration of the day and night. At each house visit, hosts give nuts, desserts, dried fruits, tea, and delicious Nowruz food to their guests.
Hosts welcome their visitors by kissing each other on the cheek in appreciation and give the new year welcoming, “Happy NoRooz Mobarak!”
8). Disposing of Bad Luck
On Farvardin 13 (April 2nd) or the last day of Nowruz vacation, the celebrants try to dispose of the bad luck associated with the number 13 by going to a picnic with their loved ones. This Nowruz tradition is known as “sizdah bedar, or getting rid of the 13th”.
They also take the sabzeh grass from the Haft Seen Table with them, which is believed to gather all the bad luck of a family during Nowruz, and then discard it in a flowing river. Many unmarried girls tie grass blades symbolizing the union of a man and women in hopes of getting a husband before the next Nowruz.
9). Exchanging Gifts & Throwing Persian New Year Parties
Exchanging gifts and throwing new year parties are also some common Nowruz traditions. The Nowruz festivities continue for two weeks, students have a two-week vacation from school, and most businesses remain closed as well, making this a perfect time of the year to party hard, enjoy with family, and attend family get-togethers.
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Happy Nowruz Wishes, Messages and Greetings
Celebrating Nowruz: What celebrants do on the day of Nowruz?
Do you know? Every year, more than 300 million people across the globe celebrate Nowruz or the Persian New Year.
Here’s a quick overview of how people celebrate their Nowruz day. Read the routine of celebrants from Farvardin 1 (starting of Nowruz festival) to Farvardin 13 (ending of Nowruz vacation):
- Leaping over fires on the last Wednesday of the year – known as Chaharshanbe Suri
- Doing spring-cleaning of home
- Purchasing new clothes for Nowruz
- Setting the Nowruz Haft-Seen Table
- Gathering around the Haft-Seen Table and start the final countdown for Nowruz
- Welcoming Nowruz with Nowruz Mubarak greetings
- Exchanging gifts
- Cooking traditional dishes
- Hosting parties and get-togethers for families and friends
- Going to a picnic with friends and family
- Disposing bad luck on the last day of Nowruz holiday
Nowruz (Eid-e-Norooz): What religion celebrates Nowruz and does it have any link with Shia Muslim religious sect?
Other than being a Persian festival of New Year, Nowruz is likewise a religious occasion for some. In Zoroastrianism and the Baha’i Faith, Nowruz is praised as the new year and a religious holiday is observed. The day holds utmost importance for Shia Muslims as well. It is also a holy day for Ismailis, Alawites, Alevis, Sufis, Bektashis, Alevis, and Babis.
Nowruz for Shia:
Nowruz holds extraordinary centrality for Shia Muslims, and they call this day: Eid-e-Norooz. The main thing that makes the Iranian New Year, a special day for Shia Muslims is that this day coincides with the day Hazrat Ali ascended the throne of the Islamic Khilafah. It has been said that it was on 21 March 656 AD, when the first Shia Imam, Hazrat Ali, assumed the office of the caliphate.
The sixth Shia Imam, Imam Jaafar, is said to have upheld the celebration of Nowruz with the remembrance of the divine. This custom is viewed as vital by numerous Shias, particularly Shia and Ismaili Muslims in India and Pakistan, where they praise this favorable event by distributing food and fasting on the day.
It has been said that Musa al-Khadim, the seventh Twelver Shia imam, has laid emphasis on the importance of Nowruz by saying:
“On Nowruz, God made a covenant with the souls before creation to worship Him and not to associate any partners with Him. Nowruz is the day when the universe started its motion and the flowers appeared on Earth. Angel Jibrael appeared to the Prophet Muhammad on this day. Abraham destroyed the pagan idols that were worshipped by his ancestors on this day. This is the day when Prophet Muhammad took Ali on his shoulders to break 360 idols in Mecca.”
One well known Shia Muslim story also portrays that a bowl of Falooda, a sweet rose-seasoned milk dessert, was sent to Imam Ali on Nowruz. When he found the explanation for this sweet blessing, he stated: “May every day be Norooz then“.
According to another Shia tradition, Salman Farsi converted to Islam on Nowruz and he used to distribute food and sweets on this day for Muhammad and Ali.
The day whereupon Nowruz falls has also been suggested as a day of fasting for Twelver Shia Muslims by famous Shia scholars, including Ali al-Sistani, Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei, and Ruhollah Khomeini.
Nowruz connection with Baha’i Faith:
Naw-Rúz is a blessed day for followers of the Bahá’í Faith around the world. It’s the principal day of the Baha’i calendar and the day has been given the name of Baha, which means magnificence or greatness.
Baha Ullah, the founder of the Baha’i Faith, described that Nowruz is related to the Greatest Name of God.
The day is also used to symbolize the rebirth of time in every religious administration.
Abdu’l-Baha, Baha Ullah’s child and successor, clarified the importance of Navruz in terms of spring and the rebirth of life and nature. He explained that the equinox is a symbol of the messengers of God and the message that they convey resembles a spiritual springtime and that Nawruz is used to commemorate it.
Nowruz Holiday Celebrations: What countries celebrate it and how it is celebrated?
Nowruz is celebrated by people of various religions and cultures. Although the traditions and celebration styles that go with the festival of Nowruz change from country to country, the underlying foundations are the same: celebrating the rebirth of nature, spreading love and peace, uniting people together.
Have a look at how different countries celebrate Nowruz.
Nowruz in Iran is celebrated as Iranian New Year:
Iran is the main center of Nowruz celebrations. It’s a two-week long holiday in Iran. The festivities start on the last Wednesday before the Iranian New Year with Chaharshanbe Suri, when Iranians leap over bonfires in streets to celebrate the end of the year. The mythology behind this ritual is that it burns all the bad luck in your soul and ensures good fortune for the new year.
As the date of Nowruz comes closer, local markets overflow with new year gifts, greeting cards, traditional Nowruz outfits, and the seven important elements that make up the traditional Nowruz Haft-Seen Table.
The spring cleaning of the home is done in the week before Nowruz. Everyone deep cleans their house and repairs the old furniture. Nowruz “spring-cleaning” includes washings rugs, carpets, curtains, bedsheets, table clothes, and sometimes a complete home whitewash. This is done for a fresh beginning of Iranian New Year.
On Persian New Year eve, every Iranian family gathers around the Haft-Seen Table and watches the New Year countdown on television. The moment the countdown finishes and the spring equinox occurs, everyone exchanges Nowruz greetings, distribute sweets and gifts among children and get ready for the two-week long celebrations.
During the Nowruz holidays, it is common for Iranians to host family dinners, parties, and get-togethers. Persian New Year traditional dishes are cooked everywhere and distributed among close relatives, friends, and neighbors. It is also common for the elders of the household to give “eidi” to younger ones, a money gift to mark the new year.
Nowruz is also the time when Iranian Santa Claus, known as Hajji Firuz, appears in streets across Iran, and hands out Nowruz gifts or candies to children and sings joyous songs to welcome the Persian New Year.
For students also, Nowruz is the favorite time of the year because they get a two-week long vacation from education institutes. Most businesses also remain closed during the vacation, while some operate for half-day only.
On the last day of Nowruz holiday (Farvardin 13) or April 2nd, it is a widespread Iranian traditional to go out for a family picnic. All recreational spots in the towns and cities across Iran are crowded with families, eating food, playing sports, smoking water pipes, and dancing to traditional Iranian songs.
Nowruz Celebrations In Azerbaijan:
Nowruz also marks a lot of celebrations in Iran’s northern neighborhood region, Azerbaijan, where it is celebrated by bonfires across the nation accompanied by music, dancing, and feasting. Azeris jump over the bonfires to burn all the unlucky things of the past year and to greet in the new year fresh.
In the evening prior to the Nowruz, the entire family accumulates around the Novruz table laid with different dishes to make the New Year rich. The decoration of the table is a big silver or copper tray with green shoots from wheat seeds in the center and dyed eggs and candles by the number of family members around it. According to Azeri tradition, the Nowruz table should be set, at least, with seven different dishes.
Nowruz in Azerbaijan is all about cooking traditional Azeri Novruz dishes and sharing them in the community. A typical Novruz dish includes a heaping plate of rice, grape leaves stuffed with minced lamb meat, and a sweet pastry made with nuts. It is common among families, friends, and neighbors to share their food with each other, and children go door to door singing Novruz songs and collecting candies and gifts.
Different games and events that symbols the coming of spring occur at Novruz holiday. The Novruz festivities in Azerbaijan continue for several days and ends with a wide variety of entertainment events such as festive public dancing and national sports competition shows.
Nowruz Celebrations in Georgia and Armenia:
Nowruz holds great significance for the Azeri community in Georgia, as well. The holiday is marked with cultural dances, wrestling competitions, and young mean riding horses through the streets.
In neighboring Armenia, all common Nowruz traditions are followed by the celebrants. However, one unique Nowruz tradition followed by Armenians is splashing water at friends and family.
Nowruz in Afghanistan is celebrated as Afghan New Year:
Nauruz in Afghanistan is celebrated as Afghan New Year. The festivities of this event usually last for two weeks, during which Afghanis celebrate their Afghan New Year with great enthusiasm and a wide range of cultural events.
The preparations for Nauruz in Afghanistan start several days before the New Year. Many Afghanis head to Mazar-i-Sharif to attend Nauruz festivities such as Guli Surkh Festival (red Tulip flowers festival) and Jaehnda Bala (religious ceremony performed in the Blue Mosque of Mazar). Mazar-i-Sharif holds the biggest Nauruz gathering where up to 300,000 Afghanis participate in the festivities, along with high-profile government officials and ministers.
On Nuruz, Buzkashi tournaments are held in Kabul and northern cities of Afghanistan. Hundreds of people take part in Buzkashi (a sport in which horse-mounted players try to place a goat carcass in a goal).
Nauruz in Afghanistan is all about food. Many households cook special cuisines and prepare traditional desserts during Nowruz holiday. Citizens enjoy family picnics at green places where the Cercis flowers grow, while farmers walk in the cities to celebrate the arrival of spring.
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Afghan New Year or Nawroz in Afghanistan
Newroz in Kurdistan is celebrated as Kurdish New Year:
Kurdish Newroz (also known as Kurdish New Year) is celebrated by a large population of Kurds. Nawroz in Kurdistan holds great importance for Kurds as this day is linked to the story of Kawa – Kawa was a blacksmith who led a revolt against a tyrannical Assyrian king named Zahak and liberated his people from king Zahak’s harsh rule. Today Nowruz is celebrated in Kurdistan as a remembrance of the victory against Zahak.
Every year, thousands of Kurds celebrate Nowruz by performing cultural dances, leaping over bonfires, and going to picnics with families. Wearing bright outfits is also a common Kurdish Newroz tradition.
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Kurdish New Year (Meaning, History, Celebrations)
Nawroz Celebrations in Albania and Kosovo:
Nevroz celebrations – and their connections to Imam Ali’s birthday – are across the board among Alevis and Bektashi in Albania and Kosovo. The day is a national holiday and is celebrated as a pan-Albanian holiday dear to all and vital to religious congruity.
For adherents of the Sufi order, Nevruz is set apart as the remembrance of the introduction of Imam Ali, the 4th Islamic caliph, while for common Albanians its festival is connected to the start of spring.
People living in these regions celebrate Nowruz by visiting recreational spots, cooking lamb meals, and carrying out ritual remembrance and reciting.
Celebrating Nowruz in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan:
Nowruz marks a major public holiday in Central Asian countries of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan.
In Tajikistan, Tajiks do spring-cleaning of their homes before the holiday and celebrate Persian new year through feasting with friends and family and wearing new outfits. Nowruz events often include singing, dancing, and wrestling, as well as buzkashi, a conventional game like polo but using a goat’s head.
In both Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, there is a custom of filling empty vessels around the home with water on the eve of Navroz to acquire the occasion. This is connected to wishes for good wellbeing in the new year. Many light candles too, exhibiting the significance of both water and flame in new year festivities.
Decorating Haft-Seen Table with seven dishes beginning from letter “s” is a typical custom in these countries. The meals are offered to guests and neighbors.
All through Central Asia, Navroz is also connected with Sumalak (a sweet wheat paste produced using wheatgrass). On the eve before Navroz, ladies accumulate around huge cooking pots of sumalak mixing it for quite a long time upon hours and singing Nowruz songs until the dawn of the new year. The sweet paste is then given out to friends and family to spread around the delight of the new year.
Nowruz Celebrations In Pakistan, India, and China:
Nowruz holds a great significance for Shia Muslims of Pakistan and India, where the day is celebrated as “Eid-e-Norooz“. Shia and Ismaili community distribute food and observe fast on Nowruz. Navroz is likewise marked by Turkic and Persian people group in western China, particularly in Xinjiang territory.
Nowruz Celebrations in Los Angeles:
Los Angeles holds the record breaking and biggest Nowruz festivities in the United States. The Farhang Foundation holds Nowruz celebrations at LACMA with fun exercises for all ages. The festivals continue with a day of traditional food, music, social events, and diverse family activities – as well as an emblematic presentation, Haft-Seen Table, respecting the Persian New Year.
Nowruz in Other Countries:
In the European nations, such as the United States and Canada, urban areas with huge Iranian diaspora communities hold Nowruz festivities as well.
Of the considerable number of nations where Nowruz is celebrated, likely the least generally known is in Tanzania. Around 1,000 years back, a group of Iranians moved to the island of Zanzibar off the bank of Tanzania and settled there. The Shirazis who settled in Zanzibar carried Nowruz with them, and after some time Zanzibaris embraced the occasion under the name Mwaka Kogwa.
Nowroz (Persian New Year): What’s the importance of celebrating Nowroz?
The magnificence and grandness of Nowruz are that it begins on a unique time every year and individuals enthusiastically and energetically sit tight for the declaration of what is known as the transition of the year.
Nowruz is a prominent hallmark of the Iranian civilization and Persian culture. The festival represents the glory and brilliance of ancient Iran and shows a feeling of pride and nobility for Iranians across the globe.
The best thing that makes Nowruz important to many countries, is that it arrives as winter closes and this is the reason people believe this day as a time of rebirth and restoration that infuses fresh and warm blood into the veins of the frozen nature.
Countries observing Nowruz are extremely beautiful in the spring, and particularly during the 13 days of Nowruz celebrations. Fragrant flowers develop in expansive amounts and the climate is overwhelmingly mild and moderate in most of the nations.
Nowruz or the Persian New Year is a relic of past days, a remnant from the beginning of human progress. It removes religious, social, lingual, and national limits and unites the hearts of a huge number of people who need to partake in an exceptional ceremony celebrating not only the start of New Year but the end of the extreme winter and entry of the brilliant spring.
Nowruz is not just a source of honor for Iranians who celebrate it with great delight, however an open door for the gathering and unity of all the peace-loving countries around the globe.
Why Nowruz Is Celebrated: A look into the history of Nowroz
Nowruz (or the Persian New Year) is celebrated by people belonging to different religions, cultures, and societies. Some people claim that it’s the 5000th time they are celebrating Nowruz, while some historians trust that Nowruz has been observed for over 15,000 years, a long time before the establishment of the Persian Realm.
If you search on Wikipedia or read any historical reference related to Nowruz, you will find lots of different stories behind its celebration. Here we have mentioned the most famous and widely accepted stories behind Nowruz:
1). Some of Nowruz’s earliest origins lie in Zoroastrianism, marking one of the holiest days in the old Zoroastrian calendar. The arrival of spring apparently had incredible spiritual importance, symbolizing the victory of good over evil and delight over distress.
Specifically, the Spirit of Noon, which was believed to be vanished by the Spirit of Winter during the extremely cold climate, was invited back with festivities on the day of Nowruz as per Zoroastrian tradition.
2). Nowruz is also connected with a great variety of customs and local traditions, including the legend of King Jamshed. Right up ’til today in Iran, Nowruz festivities are sometimes called: Nowruz Jasmshedi.
It is said that as to defeat the extreme winters, King Jamshed built a throne decorated with pearls and put on a crown. He had demons raise him high over the earth into the sky; there he sat, shining like a bright sun.
People saw the ruler sparkling like the Sun. Henceforth, this brought a lot of happiness to the nation. They praised that day and broadcasted this was the Now Ruz (New Day). This was the main day of the Iranian timetable month of Farvardin, and the festivals proceeded for seven days, in which individuals praised the New Year and the recovery of nature.
3). In Kurdish legends, Nowruz is the day when blacksmith Kawa led a successful uprising against a tyrannical Assyrian king named Zahak and liberated his people from king Zahak’s harsh rule. Today Nowruz is celebrated in Kurdistan as a remembrance of the victory against Zahak.
4). Praising the New Year at the vernal equinox was additionally an old Babylonian convention, as it is every now and again referenced in Babylonian records that the old stately city of Iran (Persepolis), was built for the particular reason for observing Nowruz celebration there.
5). Nowruz has a solid association with the ancient farmers. In past occasions, a large portion of Iran’s populace relied upon agriculture. When no agricultural activities were possible in harsh winters, farmers used to return to their homes.
Toward the finish of winter and the beginning of Spring (when it got warm again), agriculturists would happily meet up for work and produce sustenance. Welcoming spring with such extraordinary eagerness is a solid motivation behind why Persian New Year (Nowruz), which denotes the arrival of Spring, got fame among the majority and turned into a generally celebrated and most adored occasion in Iran.
6). Nowruz holds utmost importance for Shia Muslims as well, and they call this day: Eid-e-Nawruz. It is said that on this day, the first Shia Imam, Hazrat Ali ascended the throne of the Islamic Khilafah. It is also said that Imam Ali was born on Navroz, March 21, 600 A.D.
It has also been said that Musa al-Khadim, the seventh Twelver Shia imam, has laid emphasis on the importance of Nowruz by saying:
“On Nowruz, God made a covenant with the souls before creation to worship Him and not to associate any partners with Him. Nowruz is the day when the universe started its motion and the flowers appeared on Earth. Angel Jibrael appeared to the Prophet Muhammad on this day. Abraham destroyed the pagan idols that were worshipped by his ancestors on this day. This is the day when Prophet Muhammad took Ali on his shoulders to break 360 idols in Mecca.”
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Complete History of Nowruz & Why Nowruz is Celebrated
Celebrations For Nowruz or The Persian New Year – Quick Facts
The Persian New Year, also known as Nowruz, is celebrated every year on Spring or Vernal Equinox usually between March 18 and March 22. It’s the most important festival in Persian culture that celebrates New Year, Arrival of Spring, and Revival of Nature:
Date: March 21
Significance: Persian Celebration of the New Year
Celebrations: Setting Haft-Seen Table, family and social gatherings, exchanging gifts, leaping over bonfires, feasting, dancing etc
Observed by: Persians, Iranians, Afghans, Kurds, Azeris, Indians