Nowruz (Persian: نوروز, Iranian Persian: [noːˈɾuːz], lit. 'New Day') is New Year's Day on the Iranian calendars, including the currently used Solar Hijri calendar. Historically, it has been observed by Iranian peoples, but is now celebrated by many Persianate cultures worldwide. It is a festival based on the Northern Hemisphere spring equinox, and thus usually coincides with a date between 19 March and 22 March on the Gregorian calendar. The roots of Nowruz lie in Zoroastrianism, and it has been celebrated by many peoples across West Asia, Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Black Sea Basin, the Balkans, and South Asia for over 3,000 years. In the modern era, while it is observed as a secular holiday by most celebrants, Nowruz remains a holy day for Zoroastrians, Baháʼís, and Ismaili Shia Muslims. For the Northern Hemisphere, Nowruz marks the beginning of the spring season. Customs for the festival include various fire and water rituals, celebratory dances, gift exchanges, and poetry recitations, among others; these observances differ between the cultures of the diverse communities that celebrate it.
Overview The first day of the Iranian calendar falls on the March equinox, the first day of spring, around 21 March. In the 11th century AD the Iranian calendar was reformed by Omar Khayyam to fix the beginning of the calendar year, i.e., Nowruz, at the vernal equinox. Accordingly, the definition of Nowruz given by the Iranian astronomer Tusi was the following: "the first day of the official New Year [Nowruz] was always the day on which the sun entered Aries before noon." Nowruz is the first day of Farvardin, the first month of the Solar Hijri calendar, which is the official calendar in use in Iran, and formerly in Afghanistan. The United Nations officially recognized the "International Day of Nowruz" with the adoption of Resolution 64/253 by the United Nations General Assembly in February 2010.
Etymology The word Nowruz is a combination of the Persian words نو (now, meaning 'new') and روز (ruz, 'day'). Historically, the word was vocalized in Classical Persian as Nawrōz, and in Middle Persian as Nōgrōz. The modern pronunciation varies among Persian dialects, with Dari and Tajiki (the eastern dialects) using the pronunciations [nawˈɾoːz] and [næʋˈɾɵz] respectively, and Iranian Persian (the western dialect) using [nowˈɾuːz] (in particular in the Tehrani accent: [noːˈɾuːz]). A variety of spellings for the word Nowruz exist in English-language usage, including Norooz, Novruz, Nowruz, Navruz, Nauruz and Newroz.
Spring equinox calculation
Nowruz's timing is based on the vernal equinox of the Northern Hemisphere. In Iran, it is the first day of the new year in the Solar Hijri algorithmic calendar, which is based on precise astronomical observations, and the sophisticated intercalation system, which makes it more accurate than its European counterpart, the Gregorian calendar. The day of Nowruz begins on the midnight in the interval between the two consecutive solar noons that includes the instant of the March equinox. (If the exact moment of astronomical equinox occurs before noon (Tehran time), that day is considered Nowruz and the first day of Farvardin. If the equinox occurs after noon, the following day is designated as Nowruz.) Hence, the first mid-day is on the last day of one calendar year, and the second mid-day is on the first day (Nowruz) of the next year. Each 2820-year great grand cycle contains 2,137 normal years of 365 days and 683 leap years of 366 days, with the average year length over the great grand cycle 365.24219852. This average is just 0.00000026 (2.6×10−7) of a day—slightly more than 1/50 of a second—shorter than Newcomb's value for the mean tropical year of 365.24219878 days, but differs considerably more from the current average vernal equinox year of 365.242362 days, which means that the new year, intended to fall on the vernal equinox, would drift by half a day over the course of a cycle.
Chaharshanbe Suri
Chaharshanbe Suri (Persian: چهارشنبهسوری, romanized: čahâr-šanbeh suri, lit. 'Festive Wednesday') is a prelude to the New Year. In Iran, it is celebrated on the eve of the last Wednesday before Nowruz. It is usually celebrated in the evening by performing rituals such as jumping over bonfires and lighting off firecrackers and fireworks. In Azerbaijan, where the preparation for Novruz usually begins a month earlier, the festival is held every Tuesday during four weeks before the holiday of Novruz. Each Tuesday, people celebrate the day of one of the four elements—water, fire, earth and wind. On the holiday eve, the graves of relatives are visited and tended. Iranians sing the poetic line "my yellow is yours, your red is mine", which means "my weakness to you and your strength to me" (Persian: سرخی تو از من، زردی من از تو, romanized: sorkhi-ye to az man, zardi-ye man az to) to the fire during the festival, asking the fire to take away ill-health and problems and replace them with warmth, health, and energy. Trail mix and berries are also served during the celebration. Spoon banging (قاشق زنی, qāšoq zani) is a tradition observed on the eve of Charshanbe Suri, similar to the Halloween custom of trick-or-treating. In Iran, people wear disguises and go door-to-door banging spoons against plates or bowls and receive packaged snacks. In Azerbaijan, children slip around to their neighbors' homes and apartments on the last Tuesday prior to Novruz, knock at the doors, and leave their caps or little basket on the thresholds, hiding nearby to wait for candies, pastries and nuts. The ritual of jumping over fire has continued in Armenia in the feast of Trndez, which is a feast of purification in the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Armenian Catholic Church, celebrated forty days after Jesus's birth.
Sizdah Be-dar
In Iran, the Nowruz holidays last thirteen days. On the thirteenth day of the New Year, Iranians leave their houses to enjoy nature and picnic outdoors, as part of the Sizdah Bedar ceremony. The greenery grown for the Haft-sin setting is thrown away, usually into running water. It is also customary for young single people, especially young girls, to tie the leaves of the greenery before discarding it, expressing a wish to find a partner. Another custom associated with Sizdah Bedar is the playing of jokes and pranks, similar to April Fools' Day.
History
Origin in Iranian religions
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