Nowruz

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Nowruz

• Persian New Year
• now (Old Persian nava) means "new
• ruz means "day"

EMA Portsmouth 2012
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Some of the countries that celebrate Nowruz
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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.
• In 2012 Nowruz is on Tuesday, March 20th at 713
  am.

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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Chaharshanbe-Suri (in Persian ???????? ?????)
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
• Enthusiastic spring-cleaning is a national
  tradition carried out by almost every household
  in Iran, Turkey, Iraq etc. Khouneh Tekouni
  literally means shaking the house
• 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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The traditional character of the Nowruz season
is called Haji Pirooz, or Haji Firuz.

• He symbolizes the rebirth of the Sumerian god of
  sacrifice, Domuzi. He was killed at the end of
  each year and is reborn at the beginning of the
  New Year.
• Wearing black make up and a red costume, Haji
  Pirooz sings and dances through the streets with
  tambourines and trumpets spreading good cheer and
  the news of the coming New Year.

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The thirteenth day of the New Year festival is
called Sizdah Bedar (meaning thirteen
outdoors).

• 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 countryside.
• 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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Sizdah Bedar often falls on or very close to
April Fool's Day. On this day, people throw
their sabzeh as a symbolic act of making the
nature greener, and to dispose of the bad luck
that the sprouts are said to have been collecting
from the household. 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 a rice dish with parsley,
  coriander, chives, dill and fenugreek, served
  with fish.
• Reshteh Polo rice cooked with noodles -it is
  said to help one succeed in life.

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More Food Dolme Barg a vegetable, meat
and rice parcel wrapped in grape leaves, said to
make wishes come true and Kookoo sabzi (a herb
and vegetable omelette/souffle) made with
parsley, dill, coriander, spinach and spring
onion ends, and chives then mixed with eggs and
walnut.
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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