View source for Nowruz

{{other uses2|Nowruz}}
{{Infobox holiday
|holiday_name  = Nowruz<br />{{small|{{lang|fa|نوروز}}}}
|type          = National, ethnic, international
|image         = 7SEEN 89.jpg
|caption       = A [[Haft-Seen]] table.
|nickname      = {{lang-sq|Novruzit}}<br />{{lang-az|Novruz}}<br />{{lang-prs|نوروز}} {{transl|prs|''Nauruz''}}<br />{{lang-ka|ნავრუზი}} {{transl|ka|''Navruzi''}}<br />[[Gujarati language#Parsi Gujarati|Gujarati]]: નવરોઝ ''Navarōjha''<br />{{lang-kk|Наурыз}} {{transl|kk|''Nawryz''}}<br />{{lang-ku|نەورۆز}} {{transl|ku|''Newroz''}}<br>{{lang-ky|Нооруз}} {{transl|ky|''Nooruz''}}<br />{{lang-os|Новруз}} {{transl|os|''Novruz''}}<br />{{lang-ps|نوروز}} {{transl|ps|''Nawróz''}}<br />{{lang-tg|Наврӯз}} {{transl|tg|''Navrūz''}}<br />[[Tati language (Iran)|Tati]]: ''Nuruz''<br />{{lang-tr|Nevruz}}<br />{{lang-tk|''Nevruz''}}<br />{{lang-uz|Navruz}}
|observedby    = {{flag|Iran}}<br>{{flag|Afghanistan}}<br>{{flag|Albania}}<ref name="komunitetibektashi.org">{{cite web | author= | title= The World Headquarters of the Bektashi Order&nbsp;– Tirana, Albania | publisher= komunitetibektashi.org | url=http://www.komunitetibektashi.org/in.php?fq=brenda&gj=gj1&kid=1
| access-date=25 April 2012 }}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://www.bank-holidays.com/holidays.php?annee=2010&id_pays=2 |title=Albania 2010 Bank Holidays |publisher=Bank-holidays.com |access-date=6 April 2010}}</ref><br>{{flag|Azerbaijan}}<br>{{flag|China}} (by [[Tajiks of Xinjiang|Tajiks]] and [[Turkic peoples]])<ref name="xinhuanet.com">{{cite web|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-03/21/c_13790562.htm|title=Xinjiang Uygurs celebrate Nowruz festival to welcome spring|author=|date=|work=Xinhuanet.com|access-date=20 March 2017}}</ref><br>{{flag|Georgia}}<ref>{{cite news|title=Nowruz Declared as National Holiday in Georgia|url=http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=22108|access-date=11 March 2013|newspaper=civil.ge|date=21 March 2010}}</ref><br>{{flag|India}} (by [[Parsi]]s)<ref name="www.iranicaonline.org">{{cite web|title=Nowruz observed in Indian subcontinent|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/nowruz-ii/|publisher=www.iranicaonline.org|access-date=29 December 2013}}</ref><br>{{flag|Iraq}} (by [[Kurds]] and [[Iraqi Turkmens|Turkmens]])<ref name=IMFA>{{cite web|title=20 March 2012 United Nations Marking the Day of Nawroz|url=http://www.mofamission.gov.iq/usan/en/articledisplay.aspx?gid=1&id=6168|publisher=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Iraq)]]|access-date=18 April 2012}}</ref><br>
{{flag|Kazakhstan}}<ref name="stan" /><br>{{flag|Kyrgyzstan}}<ref name="stan" /><br>{{flag|Pakistan}} (by [[Pashtuns]] and [[Balochs]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13921228000132|title=Farsnews|author=|date=|work=FarsNews.com|access-date=20 March 2017}}</ref><br>{{flag|Russia}}<ref>{{cite news|title=Россия празднует Навруз [Russia celebrates Nowruz]|url=http://rus.ruvr.ru/2012_03_21/69129482/|access-date=11 March 2013|newspaper=Golos Rossii|date=21 March 2012|language=Russian}}</ref><br>{{flag|Syria}} (by [[Kurds]])<ref name="damascusbureau.org">{{cite web|title=Arabs, Kurds to Celebrate Nowruz as National Day|url=http://www.damascusbureau.org/?p=1615|access-date=11 March 2013}}</ref><ref>[http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0323/p07s02-woiq.html ''For Kurds, a day of bonfires, legends, and independence'']. Dan Murphy. 23 March 2004.</ref><br>{{flag|Tajikistan}}<ref name="tajikistan" /><br>{{flag|Turkey}} (by [[Azerbaijanis in Turkey|Azerbaijanis]], [[Kurds]] and [[Yörüks]])<ref>[http://www.acarindex.com/dosyalar/makale/acarindex-1423867314.pdf] ANADOLU’DA NEVRUZ KUTLAMALARI</ref><ref name="Emma">Emma Sinclair-Webb, [[Human Rights Watch]], [https://books.google.com/books?id=ZwDxTvTlRuYC&pg=PA46 "Turkey, Closing ranks against accountability"], Human Rights Watch, 2008. "The traditional Nowrouz/Nowrooz celebrations, mainly celebrated by the Kurdish population in the Kurdistan Region in Iraq, and other parts of Kurdistan in Turkey, Iran, Syria and Armenia and taking place around March 21"</ref><br>{{flag|Turkmenistan}}<ref name="sitara.com">{{cite web|title=General Information of Turkmenistan|url=http://sitara.com/turkmenistan/general.html|publisher=sitara.com|access-date=26 December 2012}}</ref><br>{{flag|Uzbekistan}}

{{Collapsible list
|bullets=yes
|title=Ethnic groups
|[[Albanians]]<ref name=BOA>{{cite web|title=2015 Official Bank Holidays Schedule|url=http://www.bankofalbania.org/web/2014_Bank_Holidays_6260_2.php|publisher=[[Bank of Albania]]|access-date=20 March 2015}}</ref>
|[[Azerbaijanis]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Nowruz message|url=http://m.state.gov/md158667.htm|publisher=U.S. Department of State|access-date=21 March 2015}}</ref>
|[[Balochs]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Congratulations for the Start of the New Iranian Year! 1391|url=http://en.imam-khomeini.ir/issues/issue3/NowruzTraditions.html|access-date=21 March 2015}}</ref>
|[[Crimean Tatars]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Crimean Tatars not celebrating Nowruz|url=http://www.aa.com.tr/en/rss/304122--crimean-tatars-not-celebrating-nowruz-says-association-head|access-date=21 March 2015|date=21 March 2014}}</ref>
|[[Gilaks]]
|[[Kazakhs]]<ref name="stan" />|[[Kurds]]<ref name="damascusbureau.org"/><ref name="Emma"/>
|[[Kyrgyzs]]<ref name="stan" />|[[Lezgins]]<ref name="russian" />
|[[Lurs]]<ref>{{cite web|title=The Enduring Nowruz|url=http://www.gozaar.org/english/articles-en/The-Enduring-Nowruz.html|accessdate=21 March 2015|date=22 March 2010}}</ref>
|[[Mazandaranis]]<ref>[[Nowruz Eve among Mazandarani people]]</ref>
|[[Parsi]]s<ref name="www.iranicaonline.org"/><ref name="euronews1">{{cite web|url=http://www.euronews.com/2013/03/20/nowruz-celebrations/ |title=Nowruz celebrations |publisher=Euronews.com |date=20 March 2013 |access-date=27 March 2013}}</ref>
|[[Pashtuns]]<ref name="Goodsell" />
|[[Persian people|Persians]]
|[[Tabasarans]]<ref name=russian>{{cite web|title=Dagestan marks Nowruz|url=http://vestnikkavkaza.net/news/culture/52840.html|accessdate=21 March 2015}}</ref>
|[[Tajiks]]<ref name="tajikistan" />
|[[Talyshs]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Nowruz in Georgia and the Georgian Legacy in Iran|url=http://www.kavehfarrokh.com/heritage/nowruz-in-georgia-and-the-georgian-legacy-in-iran/|access-date=21 March 2015|date=28 March 2010}}</ref>
|[[Tat people (Iran)|Tats]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Nowruz in Takestan and Taleqan (Persian)|url=http://takpress.ir/1393/%D9%86%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B2-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%87%D9%86%DA%AF-%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%AA%DB%8C/|access-date=20 March 2015|date=20 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Farhang-e Tāti, Jahandoost Sabzalipour, Rasht: Farhang-e Iliya Press. Second. Edition in 2013|url=http://sabzalipour.iaurasht.ac.ir/faculty/Files/111/Staff/Faculty/111_2015-11-22_04.23.07_cv%20sabzalipour%2094.pdf|accessdate=20 March 2015|date=March 2013}}</ref>
|[[Turkmens]]<ref name="sitara.com"/>
|[[Uyghurs]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Do Uyghur Celebrate Chinese New Year?|url=http://www.farwestchina.com/2010/02/do-uyghurs-celebrate-chinese-new-year.html|access-date=21 March 2015}}</ref>
|[[Uzbeks]]<ref name="Uzbekistan">{{cite web|url=http://www.eurasianet.org/resource/uzbekistan/hypermail/200303/0023.shtml |title=Uzbek President says Hussein must be disarmed |publisher=Eurasianet.org |date=2003-03-24 |access-date=6 April 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080202173046/http://www.eurasianet.org/resource/uzbekistan/hypermail/200303/0023.shtml |archivedate=February 2, 2008 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref>}}
|date          = March 20, 21, or 22
|date2016      = Sunday 20 March 2016<br>at 04:30 UTC [[Equinox|*]]
|date2017      = Monday 20 March 2017<br>at 10:29 UTC [[Equinox|*]]
|date2018      = Tuesday 20 March 2018<br>at 16:15 UTC [[Equinox|*]]
|date2019      = Wednesday 20 March 2019<br>at 21:58 UTC [[Equinox|*]]
|date2020      = Friday 20 March 2020<br>at 03:50 UTC [[Equinox|*]]
|celebrations  = [[Haft-Seen]], [[Charshanbe Suri]], [[Sizdah Be-dar|Sizdebedar]], etc.
|duration      = 1 day
|frequency     = annual
|significance  = [[New Year]] holiday
}}

{{Infobox intangible heritage
| ICH         = Norooz, Nawrouz, Newroz, Novruz, Nowrouz, Nowrouz, Nawrouz, Nauryz, Nooruz, Nowruz, Navruz, Nevruz, Nowruz, Navruz
| Countries   = Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan
| ID          = 1161
| Region      = APA
| Year        = 2016
| Session     = 4th
| Link        = http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/en/RL/01161
}}

'''Nowruz''' ({{lang-fa|نوروز}} ''Nowruz''; {{IPA-fa|nouˈɾuːz|}}; literally "new day") is the name of the [[Iranian peoples|Iranian]] [[New Year]],<ref>{{Cite web|title = Culture of Iran: No-Rooz, The Iranian New Year at Present Times|url = http://www.iranchamber.com/culture/articles/norooz_iranian_new_year.php|website = www.iranchamber.com|access-date = 1 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Stausberg|first1=Michael|last2=Sohrab-Dinshaw Vevaina|first2=Yuhan|title=The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Zoroastrianism|date=2015|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1118786277|pages=494–495|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cm_-CAAAQBAJ&dq=nowruz+persian+origin&hl=nl&source=gbs_navlinks_s|chapter=The Iranian festivals: Nowruz and Mehregan}}</ref> also known as the ''[[Persian people|Persian]] New Year'',<ref>{{cite web|title=NOWRUZ|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/nowruz-index|website=Encyclopaedia Iranica|quote=Nowruz, "New Day", is a traditional ancient festival which celebrates the starts of the Persian New Year.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Melton|first1=J. Gordon|title=Religious Celebrations: An Encyclopedia of Holidays, Festivals, Solemn Observances, and Spiritual Commemorations [2 volumes]|date=2011|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1598842067|page=620|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lD_2J7W_2hQC&dq=nowruz+persian+new+year+origin&hl=nl&source=gbs_navlinks_s|quote=Nowruz, an ancient spring festival of Persian origin (and the Zoroastrian New Year's day)...}}</ref> which is celebrated worldwide by the [[Iranian peoples|Iranians]], along with some other ethno-linguistic groups, as the beginning of the New Year.

It has been celebrated for over 3,000 years in [[Western Asia]], [[Central Asia]], the [[Caucasus]], the [[Black Sea Basin]] and the [[Balkans]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.un.org/press/en/2010/ga10916.doc.htm|title=General Assembly Recognizes 21 March as International Day of Nowruz, Also Changes to 23–24 March Dialogue on Financing for Development - Meetings Coverage and Press Releases|author=|date=|work=UN.org|access-date=20 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LoU9pz97OCoC&pg=PA39&dq=Nowruz+Persian+new+year&hl=en&sa=X&ei=mbvsVOS0E8a-ggSUmoOACg&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=Nowruz%20Persian%20new%20year&f=false |title=Iran: U. S. Concerns and Policy Responses|author=Kenneth Katzman|publisher=DIANE Publishing|date=2010 |access-date=24 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/64/253|title=General Assembly Fifty-fifth session 94th plenary meeting Friday, 9 March 2001, 10 a.m. New York |publisher=United Nations General Assembly |date=9 March 2001 |access-date=2010-04-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lD_2J7W_2hQC&pg=PA651&dq=nowruz+originated+in+Persia&hl=en&sa=X&ei=mb7sVKPSDoGGNuqlgLAC&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAzgK#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=Religious Celebrations: An Encyclopedia of Holidays, Festivals, Solemn Observances, and Spiritual Commemorations [2 volumes]: An Encyclopedia of Holidays, Festivals, Solemn Observances, and Spiritual Commemorations|author=J. Gordon Melton|publisher=ABC-CLIO|date=13 September 2011|access-date=24 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20100317/wl_time/08599197278600 |title=Nowrooz, a Persian New Year Celebration, Erupts in Iran&nbsp;– Yahoo! News |publisher=News.yahoo.com |date=2010-03-16 |access-date=6 April 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100322222922/http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20100317/wl_time/08599197278600 |archivedate=2010-03-22 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://washingtontimes.com/news/2010/mar/19/us-mulls-persian-new-year-outreach-to-iran/ |title=U.S. mulls Persian New Year outreach |work=Washington Times |date=2010-03-19 |accessdate=2010-04-06}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.gov.krd/p/page.aspx?l=12&s=050000&r=302&p=212|title = National holidays and key dates in the Kurdistan Region's history|access-date = 16 February 2015|website = Kurdistan Regional Government|publisher = Kurdistan Regional Government|last = |first = }}</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=zDRGO6EgapMC&pg=PA230&dq=newroz&hl=de&sa=X&ei=eO3hVKPuL8m_ygOkmYGgAg&ved=0CFkQ6AEwCDgK#v=onepage&q=newroz&f=false Historical Dictionary of the Kurds], Michael M. Gunter.</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Jaclyn|first=Michael|title=Nowruz Curriculum Text|publisher=Harvard University}}</ref> It marks the first day of the first month ([[Farvardin]]) in the [[Iranian calendars|Iranian calendar]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = What Is Norooz? Greetings, History And Traditions To Celebrate The Persian New Year|url = http://www.ibtimes.com/what-norooz-greetings-history-traditions-celebrate-persian-new-year-1562607|website = International Business Times|access-date = 1 February 2016}}</ref>

Nowruz is the day of the [[equinox|vernal equinox]], and marks the beginning of spring in the [[Northern Hemisphere]]. It usually occurs on [[March 21]] or the previous or following day, depending on where it is observed. The moment the [[sun]] crosses the [[celestial equator]] and equalizes night and day is calculated exactly every year, and families gather together to observe the rituals.

Although having [[Iranian peoples|Iranian]] and religious [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrian]] origins, Nowruz has been celebrated by people from diverse ethno-linguistic communities for thousands of years. It is a [[secularism|secular]] holiday for most celebrants that is enjoyed by people of several different faiths, but remains a holy day for Zoroastrians.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vNw9Kb7swxIC&pg=PA148&dq=nowruz+achaemenid&hl=en&sa=X&ei=4l0nU5eAELCs0AHa5YDQBQ&ved=0CEgQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=nowruz%20achaemenid&f=false |title=Xenophon and His World: Papers from a Conference Held in Liverpool in July 1999|date=1 July 1999 |access-date=17 March 2010}}</ref>

==Etymology==
The term ''Nowruz'' is a Persian [[Compound (linguistics)|compound]] word, consisting of the words ''now'' and ''ruz''. ''Now'' ({{lang-peo|''nava''}}), which means "new" and descends from [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] {{wikt-lang|ine-pro|*néwos}}, is cognate with [[English language|English]] ''new'', [[German language|German]] ''neu'', [[Latin]] ''novus'', [[Greek language|Greek]] ''neos'', [[Russian language|Russian]] ''novyj'' and [[Sanskrit]] ''náva''. ''Ruz'' ({{lang-pal|''rōz'', ''rōj''}}; {{lang-ae|raocah}}), which means "day" in [[Persian language|Modern Persian]], is descended from [[Proto-Iranian language|Proto-Iranian]] ''*raučah-'', itself derived from Proto-Indo-European {{wikt-lang|ine-pro|*lewk-}}. The original meaning of the word, however, was "light". It is related to [[Armenian language|Armenian]] ''loys'', English ''light'', Latin ''lux'', Sanskrit ''rúci'' and [[Slovenian language|Slovenian]] ''luč''.<ref>Andrew L. Sihler ('''1995''') ''New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin'', New York, Oxford, Oxford University Press</ref><ref>Julius Pokorny ('''1959'''), ''Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch'', in 3 vols, Bern, München: Francke Verlag</ref>

===Regional variations in pronunciation===
The Persian pronunciation differs in the many dialects of the language. While the eastern dialects have preserved the [[diphthong]] ''nau'' ({{IPA-fa|næuˈɾoːz|IPA}}), the western dialects usually pronounce it with the diphthong ''now'' ({{IPA-fa|nouˈɾuːz|IPA}}), and some colloquial variants (such as the [[Tehrani accent]]) pronounce it with a long [[monophthong]] ({{IPA-fa|noːˈɾuːz|IPA}}).

===Spelling variations===
A variety of spelling variations for the word ''Nowruz'' exist in English-language usage. [[Random House]] (unabridged) provides the spelling ''Nowruz''.<ref>Random House dictionary (unabridged), 2006 (according to [http://dictionary.reference.com Dictionary.reference.com]).</ref>

[[Merriam-Webster]] (2006) recognizes only the spelling "Nauruz" (and a contestant in the final session of the 2006 [[Scripps National Spelling Bee]] in the United States, Allion Salvador, was disqualified on that basis).<ref>[http://www.spellingbee.com/06bee/rounds/Round08.htm 2006 Scripps National Spelling Bee May 31&nbsp;– June 1, 2006] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060614133234/http://www.spellingbee.com/06bee/rounds/Round08.htm |date=June 14, 2006 }}</ref><ref>[http://archive.is/20130202011809/http://www.scrippsnews.com/content/new-jersey-girl-wins-scripps-spelling-bee?page=6 New Jersey Girl wins Scripps Spelling Bee],{{Dead link|date=July 2015}}</ref><ref>Elien, Shadi, "[http://www.straight.com/article-298794/vancouver/persian-new-year-spelled-norouz-nowruz-or-nauruz Is the Persian New Year spelled Norouz, Nowruz, or Nauruz?]", ''[[The Georgia Straight]]'', March 17, 2010.</ref><ref>"[http://iranian.com/main/singlepage/2008/how-do-you-spell-nauruz.html How do you spell 'Nauruz']", ''[[Iranian.com]]'', October 4, 2008.</ref>

==History and origin==
===Ancient roots===
Although it is not clear whether Proto-Indo-Iranians celebrated a feast as the first day of the calendar, there are indications that Iranians may have observed the beginning of both autumn and spring, respectively related to the harvest and the sowing of seeds, for the celebration of the New Year.<ref name="Boyce"/> [[Mary Boyce]] and Frantz Grenet explain the traditions for seasonal festivals and comment: "It is possible that the splendor of the [[Mesopotamia|Babylonian]] festivities at this season led the Iranians to develop their own spring festival into an established New Year feast, with the name ''Navasarda'' "New Year" (a name which, though first attested through Middle Persian derivatives, is attributed to the Achaemenian period)." Since the communal observations of the ancient Iranians appear in general to have been a seasonal ones, and related to agriculture, "it is probable that they traditionally held festivals in both autumn and spring, to mark the major turning points of the natural year."<ref name="Boyce">''A History of Zoroastrianism: Under the Achaemenians''
By Mary Boyce, Frantz Grenet
Published by BRILL, 1982
ISBN 90-04-06506-7, ISBN 978-90-04-06506-2, page 3–4</ref>

Nowruz is partly rooted in the tradition of [[Iranian religions]], such as [[Mitraism]] and [[Zoroastrianism]]. In Mitraism, festivals had a deep linkage with the sun's light. The Iranian festivals such as [[Mehrgan]] ([[autumnal equinox]]), [[Tirgan]], and the eve of [[Yalda|Chelle ye Zemestan]] ([[winter solstice]]) also had an origin in the Sun god ([[Surya]]). Among other ideas, Zoroastrianism is the first [[monotheism|monotheistic]] religion that emphasizes broad concepts such as the corresponding work of good and evil in the world, and the connection of humans to nature. Zoroastrian practices were dominant for much of the history of ancient Iran. In Zoroastrianism, the seven most important Zoroastrian festivals are the six [[Gahambars|Gahambar]] festivals and Nowruz, which occurs at the [[spring equinox]]. According to [[Mary Boyce]],<ref>[http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/festivals-i Encyclopædia Iranica, "Festivals: Zoroastrian" Boyce, Mary] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111074500/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/festivals-i |date=January 11, 2012 }}</ref> "It seems a reasonable surmise that Nowruz, the holiest of them all, with deep doctrinal significance, was founded by [[Zoroaster]] himself"; although there is no clear date of origin.<ref>Boyce, M. [http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/festivals-i "Festivals. i. Zoroastrian"]. ''[[Encyclopaedia Iranica]]''.</ref> Between sunset on the day of the sixth Gahambar and sunrise of Nowruz, [[Hamaspathmaedaya]] (later known, in its extended form, as ''Frawardinegan''; and today known as ''Farvardigan'') was celebrated. This and the Gahambars are the only festivals named in the surviving text of the [[Avesta]].

The 10th-century scholar [[Biruni]], in his work ''Kitab al-Tafhim li Awa'il Sina'at al-Tanjim'', provides a description of the calendars of various nations. Besides the Iranian calendar, various festivals of Greeks, Jews, Arabs, Sabians, and other nations are mentioned in the book. In the section on the Iranian calendar, he mentions Nowruz, [[Sadeh]], Tirgan, Mehrgan, the six Gahambars, Farvardigan, Bahmanja, [[Sepandārmazgān|Esfand Armaz]] and several other festivals. According to him, "It is the belief of the Iranians that Nowruz marks the first day when the universe started its motion."<ref>برگرفته از: "گنجينه‌ي سخن"، تأليف دكتر ذبيح الله صفا، انتشارات اميركبير، 1370، جلد يكم، ص 292
Original excerpt:''{{lang|fa|2=نخستين روز است از فروردين ماه و از اين جهت، روز نو نام كرده‌اند؛ زيرا كه پيشاني سال نو است و آن چه از پس اوست از اين پنج روز [= پنج روز اول فروردين] همه جشن‌هاست. و ششم فروردين ماه را "نوروز بزرگ" دارند؛ زيرا كه خسروان بدان پنج روز حق‌هاي حشم و گروهان و بزرگان بگزاردندي و حاجت‌ها روا كردني، آن گاه بدين روز ششم خلوت كردندي خاصگان را. و اعتقاد پارسيان اندر نوروز نخستين آن است كه اول روزي است از زمانه و بدو، فلك آغازيد گشتن.}}''</ref> The Persian historian [[Gardizi]], in his work titled ''Zayn al-Akhbār'', under the section of the Zoroastrians festivals, mentions Nowruz (among other festivals) and specifically points out that [[Zoroaster]] highly emphasized the celebration of Nowruz and Mehrgan.<ref>Gardīzī, Abu Saʿīd ʿAbd-al-Ḥayy b. Żaḥḥāk b. Maḥmūd in [[Encyclopedia Iranica]] by C. Edmund Bosworth  [http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/gardizi Iranica on line]</ref><ref>Tārīkh-i Gardīzī / taʾlīf, Abū Saʻīd ʻAbd al-Ḥayy ibn Zahāk ibn Maḥmūd Gardīzī ; bih taṣḥīḥ va taḥshiyah va taʻlīq, ʻAbd al-Ḥayy Ḥabībī. Tihrān : Dunyā-yi Kitāb, 1363 [1984 or 1985].  excerpt from page 520:
''{{lang|fa|2=مهرگان بزرگ باشد، و بعضی از مغان چنین گویند: که این فیروزی فریدون بر بیوراسپ، رام روز بودست از مهرماه، و زردشت که مغان او را به پیغمبری دارند، ایشان را فرموده است بزرگ داشتن این روز، و روز نوروز را.}}''</ref>

===Achaemenid period===
[[File:Persepolis stairs of the Apadana relief.jpg|thumb|left|A bas-relief at the [[Apadana]], [[Persepolis]], depicting [[Armenians]] bringing their famous wine to the king.]]
It has been suggested that the famous [[Persepolis]] complex, or at least the palace of [[Apadana]] and the Hundred Columns Hall, were built for the specific purpose of celebrating a feast related to Nowruz. Although there may be no mention of the term ''Nowruz'' in recorded Achaemenid inscriptions,<ref name="Khodadad"/> there is a detailed account by [[Xenophon]] of a Nowruz celebration taking place in Persepolis and the continuity of this festival in the Achaemenid tradition.<ref>Christopher Tuplin;  Vincent Azoulay, ''Xenophon and His World: Papers from a Conference Held in Liverpool in July 1999'', Published by Franz Steiner Verlag, 2004, ISBN 3-515-08392-8, p.148.</ref> It was an important day during the time of the [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenids]] ({{nowrap|c. 550–330 BCE}}), where kings from different nations under the Achaemenid Empire used to bring gifts to the [[King of Kings]] of Iran. The significance of the ceremony in the Achaemenid Empire was such that King [[Cambyses II]]'s appointment as the king of [[Babylon]] was legitimized only after his participation in the referred annual Achaemenid festival.<ref>{{cite book|title=Reading Hosea in Achaemenid Yehud|last=Trotter |first=James M.|publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group|year=2001|page=108|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zxl053mwwmMC&pg=PA108&dq=new+y|isbn=978-1-84127-197-2}}</ref> It was, therefore, a highly auspicious occasion for the ancient [[Iranian peoples]].

In 539 BC, the Jews came under Iranian rule, thus exposing both groups to each other's customs. According to the [[Encyclopædia Britannica]], the story of [[Purim]] as told in the [[Book of Esther]] is adapted from an Iranian novella about the shrewdness of harem queens, suggesting that Purim may be a transformation of the Iranian New Year.<ref Name=" Encyclopædia Britannica">{{cite web
  | last = The Judaic tradition " Jewish myth and legend " Sources and development " Myth and legend in the Persian period
  | first =
  | title = Encyclopædia Britannica
  | url = http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/307197/Judaism/35340/Sources-and-development#ref=ref299743
  | accessdate = 2009-03-21}}
</ref> A specific novella is not identified and Encyclopædia Britannica itself notes that "no Jewish texts of this genre from the Persian period are extant, so these new elements can be recognized only inferentially". The [[Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics]] notes that the Purim holiday is based on a [[lunar calendar]], while Nowruz occurs at the spring equinox ([[solar calendar]]). The two holidays are therefore celebrated on different dates but within a few weeks of each other, depending on the year. Given their temporal associations, it is possible that the Jews and Iranians of the time may have shared or adopted similar customs for these holidays.<ref Name=" Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics">{{cite book | last = Edited by, James Hastings, John Alexander Selbie, Louis Herbert Gray,  vol. 10, p. 506 | title = Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=pf4hAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA506&lpg=PA506&dq=persian+new+year+purim&source=bl&ots=55FOUYHbug&sig=L_O6GMEM6Jo39Bv0Az38JrhyUjA&hl=en&ei=vvHDSdPNDpr2MIWYxJoK&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=9&ct=result#PPA506
  | accessdate = 2012-04-03}}</ref> The story of Purim as told in the [[Book of Esther]] has been dated around 625–465 BC (although the story takes place with the Jews under the rule of the Achaemenid Empire and the Jews had come under Iranian rule in 539 BC), while Nowruz is thought to have first been celebrated between 555–330 BC. It remains unclear which holiday was established first.

===Arsacid and Sassanid periods===
Nowruz was the holiday of [[Parthian Empire|Arsacid]] dynastic empires who ruled Iran (248–224 CE) and the other areas ruled by the Arsacid dynasties outside of [[Parthia]] (such as the Arsacid dynasties of [[Arsacid dynasty of Armenia|Armenia]] and [[Arsacid dynasty of Iberia|Iberia]]). There are specific references to the celebration of Nowruz during the reign of [[Vologases I]] (51–78 CE), but these include no details.<ref name="Khodadad">{{cite web
  | last = Rezakhani
  | first = Khodadad
  | title = Nowruz in History
  | url = http://www.iranologie.com/history/nowruz-hist.html
  | accessdate = 2008-03-21}}</ref> Before [[Sassanids]] established their power in Western Asia around 300 CE, Parthians celebrated Nowruz in autumn, and the first of [[Farvardin]] began at the autumn equinox. During the reign of the Parthian dynasty, the spring festival was [[Mehrgan]], a [[Zoroastrian]] and Iranian festival celebrated in honor of [[Mithra]].<ref>John R. Hinnells, "Mithraic studies: proceedings", Edition: illustrated, Published by Manchester University Press ND, 1975, ISBN 0-7190-0536-1, ISBN 978-0-7190-0536-7, Page 307</ref>

Extensive records on the celebration of Nowruz appear following the accession of [[Ardashir I]], the founder of the [[Sasanian Empire]] (224–651 CE). Under the Sassanid emperors, Nowruz was celebrated as the most important day of the year. Most royal traditions of Nowruz, such as royal audiences with the public, cash gifts, and the pardoning of prisoners, were established during the Sassanid era and persisted unchanged until modern times.

===After the Muslim conquest===
Nowruz, along with [[Sadeh]] (celebrated in mid-winter), survived in society after the [[Muslim conquest of Persia|Muslim conquest of Iran]] in 650 CE. Other celebrations such the [[Gahambars]] and [[Mehrgan]] were eventually side-lined or were only followed by the [[Zoroastrians]] who carried them. It was adopted as the main royal holiday during the [[Abbasid]] period.

In the book ''Nowruznama'' ("Book of the New Year", which is attributed to [[Omar Khayyam]],<ref>A.A. Seyed-Gohrab (ed.), "The Great 'Umar Khayyam: A Global Reception of the Rubáiyát ". Leiden University press, 2012. see p12: "In connection to calendar reform, another work Nowruz-nama is attributed to Khayyam but the attribution is not without problems"</ref> a well known [[Persian literature|Persian poet]] and [[mathematician]]), a vivid description of the celebration in the courts of the kings of Iran is provided:<ref>Umar ibn Ibrahim Khayyam ; bih kushish-i ʻAli Ḥuṣuri., "Nowruznamah", Tehran : Nashr-i Chashmah, 1379 [2000].  Original Persian excerpt: ''{{lang|fa|2=آئین ملوک عجم از گاه کی‌خسرو تا به روزگار یزدجرد شهریار که آخرین ملوک عجم بود، چنان بوده است که روز نوروز نخست کس از مردمان بیگانه، موبد موبدان پیش ملک آمدی با جام زرین پر می و انگشتری و درمی و دیناری خسروانی و یک دسته خوید سبز رسته و شمشیری و تیرکمان و دوات و قلم و اسپی و بازی و غلامی خوب‌روی و ستایش نمودی و نیایش کردی او را به زبان پارسی به عبارت ایشان. چون موبد موبدان از آفرین بپرداختی، پس بزرگان دولت آمدندی و خدمت‌ها پیش آوردندی. آن‌چه که موبد موبدان به شاه می‌گوید، : شها، به جشن فروردین به ماه فروردین، به آزادی گزین یزدان و دین کیان، سروش آورد تو را دانائی و بینائی به کاردانی و دیر‌زی و با خوی هژیر  و شادباش بر تخت زرین و انوشه خور به جام جمشید و رسم نیاکان در همت بلند و نیکوکاری و ورزش داد و راستی نگاه‌دار، سرت سبزباد و جوانی چو خوید، اسپت کامکار و پیروز و تیغت روشن و کاری به دشمن و بازت گیرا و خجسته به درم و دینار، پیشت هنری و دانا گرامی و درم خوار و سرایت آباد و زندگانی بسیار}}''</ref>
"From the era of [[Kai Khosrow]] till the days of [[Yazdegerd III|Yazdegard]], last of the pre-Islamic kings of Iran, the royal custom was thus: on the first day of the New Year, ''Now Ruz'', the king's first visitor was the High [[Mobad]] of the [[Zoroastrians]], who brought with him as gifts a golden goblet full of wine, a ring, some gold coins, a fistful of green sprigs of wheat, a sword, and a bow. In the language of Iran, he would then glorify God and praise the monarch. This was the address of the High Mobad to the king: "O [[Shah|Majesty]], on this feast of the [[equinox]], first day of the first month of the year, seeing that thou hast freely chosen God and the faith of the ancient ones; may [[Sraosha]], the angel-messenger, grant thee wisdom and insight and sagacity in thy affairs. Live long in praise, be happy and fortunate upon thy golden throne, drink immortality from the ''Cup of [[Jamshid]]''; and keep in solemn trust the customs of our ancestors, their noble aspirations, fair gestures and the exercise of justice and righteousness. May thy soul flourish; may thy youth be as the new-grown grain; may thy horse be puissant, victorious; thy sword bright and deadly against foes; thy hawk swift against its prey; thy every act straight as the arrow's shaft. Go forth from thy rich throne, conquer new lands. Honor the craftsman and the sage in equal degree; disdain the acquisition of wealth. May thy house prosper and thy life be long!"

Following the demise of the caliphate and the subsequent re-emergence of Iranian dynasties such as the [[Samanids]] and [[Buyids]], Nowruz was elevated to an even more important event. The Buyids revived the ancient traditions of Sassanian times and restored many smaller celebrations that had been eliminated by the caliphate. According to the Syrian historian [[Yaqut al-Hamawi]], the Iranian [[Buyid]] ruler ʿAżod-od-Dawla (r. 949-83) customarily welcomed Nowruz in a majestic hall, wherein servants had placed gold and silver plates and vases full of fruit and colorful flowers.<ref name="IranicaShahbazi">{{cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/nowruz-ii |title=A. Shapur Shahbazi, "Nowruz: In the Islamic period" |publisher=Iranicaonline.org |accessdate=2013-03-27}}</ref> The King would sit on the royal throne (''masnad''), and the court astronomer came forward, kissed the ground, and congratulated him on the arrival of the New Year.<ref name="IranicaShahbazi"/> The king would then summon musicians and singers, and invited his boon companions. They would gather in their assigned places and enjoy a great festive occasion.<ref name="IranicaShahbazi"/>

Even the [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] and [[Mongol]] invaders did not attempt to abolish Nowruz in favor of any other celebration. Thus, Nowruz remained as the main celebration in Iranian lands by both the officials and the people.

<gallery mode=packed>
Shah Abbas II.jpg|Painting of [[Shah Abbas II]] and the courtiers celebrating Nowruz.{{citation needed|date=April 2016}}
Erotic Scene Chehel Soltun Ispahan.JPG|A [[Safavid]] painting depecting a [[Charshanbe Suri]] celebration.
Shah Tahmasp I and Humayun.jpg|A 16th-century painting of [[Tahmasp I]] and [[Humayun]] celebrating Nowruz.
Muhammad Ali 001.jpg|Painting of [[Sultan Husayn]] and the courtiers celebrating Nowruz.
</gallery>

===Contemporary era===
Before the collapse of the [[Soviet Union]], Iran was the only country that officially observed the ceremonies of Nowruz. When the [[Caucasus|Caucasian]] and [[Central Asia]]n countries gained independence from the Soviets, they also declared Nowruz as a national holiday.

The [[United Nations General Assembly|UN's General Assembly]] recognized the International Day of Nowruz in 2010, describing it as a spring festival of Iranian origin, which has been celebrated for over 3,000 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2010/ga10916.doc.htm |title=General Assembly Recognizes 21 March as International Day of Nowruz, Also Changes to 23–24 March Dialogue on Financing for Development
 |publisher=UN.org |date=23 February 2010 |accessdate=2010-04-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-02-24/un-officially-recognizes-march-21-as-international-nowruz-day.html |first=Ali |last=Sheikholeslami |title=UN Officially Recognizes March 21 as International Nowruz Day |agency=Businessweek.com |date=2010-02-24 |accessdate=2010-04-06}}</ref> During the meeting of ''The Inter-governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage'' of the [[United Nations]], held between 28 September&nbsp;– 2 October 2009, Nowruz was officially registered on the [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists|UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity]].<ref>''Novruz, Nowrouz, Nooruz, Navruz, Nauroz, Nevruz: Inscribed in 2009 on the  Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity'', [http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?RL=00282 UNESCO].</ref><ref>''Noruz and Iranian radifs registered on UNESCO list'', Tehran Times, 1 October 2009, [http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=204443 TehranTimes.com].</ref><ref>[http://www.un.org/en/events/nowruzday/] International Day of Nowruz</ref><ref>''Persian music, Nowruz make it into UN heritage list'', Press TV, 1 October 2009, [http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=107504&sectionid=351020105 PressTV.ir]</ref><ref>''Nowruz became international'', in Persian, BBC Persian, Wednesday, 30 September 2009, [http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/arts/2009/09/090930_mg_nowrooz_global_register.shtml BBC.co.uk]</ref> In response to the UN recognition, Iran unveiled a postage stamp. The stamp was made public in the presence of the Iranian President during the first International Nowruz Celebrations in Tehran on Saturday, 27 March 2010.<ref>[http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=121836&sectionid=351020105 Iran issues stamp celebrating Int'l Day of Nowruz], PRESS TV, dated Sun, 28 Mar 2010 05:53:40 GMT</ref>

The second International Nowruz Celebrations were also held in Tehran in 2011. The 3rd International Nowruz Celebrations were held in Dushanbe, [[Tajikistan]], on March 25, 2012 with Tajik President and his Iranian and Afghan counterparts in attendance. The next international ceremonies to celebrate Nowruz were scheduled to be hosted by [[Turkmenistan]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Turkmenistan to Host International Nowruz Celebrations|url=http://www.satrapia.com/news/article/turkmenistan-to-host-international-nowruz-celebrations/|newspaper=The Gazette of Central Asia|date=9 January 2013|publisher=Satrapia}}</ref>

==Locality==
The festival of Nowruz is celebrated by many groups of people in the [[Black Sea]] basin, the [[Balkans]], the [[Caucasus]], [[Western Asia]], [[Central Asia|central]] and [[Southern Asia|southern]] Asia, and by [[Iranian people|Iranians]] worldwide.<ref>{{cite news | last =Rostami | first =Hoda | title =Yek Jahan Noruz (meaning: Worldwide Nowruz) |newspaper =Saman (Publication of Iranian National Tax Administration) |issue=23 |date=17 March 2007}}</ref>

Countries that have Nowruz as a public holiday include:
* {{Flagicon|Afghanistan}} [[Afghanistan]] (21 March)<ref name="Goodsell"/>
* {{Flagicon|Albania}} [[Albania]] (22 March)<ref name="komunitetibektashi.org"/><ref name="auto"/>
* {{Flagicon|Azerbaijan}} [[Azerbaijan]] (20 March to 26 March, total of seven days)<ref name="azerbaijan" >{{cite web|url=http://english.irib.ir/radioculture/occasions/national-occasions/item/80534-tajikistan-holds-3rd-international-nowruz-celebrations|title=BBCPersian.com |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |accessdate=2010-04-06}}</ref><ref name="Azerbaijan 2010 Bank Holidays">{{cite web|url=http://www.bank-holidays.com/holidays.php?annee=2010&id_pays=16 |title=Azerbaijan 2010 Bank Holidays |publisher=Bank-holidays.com |access-date=6 April 2010}}</ref>
* {{Flagicon|Georgia}} [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]<ref name="civilcivil">{{cite web|url=http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=22108 |title=Nowruz Declared as National Holiday in Georgia |publisher=Civil.Ge |date=1 July 2001 |access-date=6 April 2010}}</ref>
* {{Flagicon|Iran}} [[Iran]] (20 March to 24 March, total of five days in general and total of 14 days for schools and universities)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bank-holidays.com/holidays.php?annee=2010&id_pays=85 |title=Iran (Islamic Republic of) 2010 Bank Holidays |publisher=Bank-holidays.com |access-date=6 April 2010}}</ref>
* {{Flagicon|Iraq}} [[Iraq]] (''de jure'' in {{flagicon|Kurdistan}} [[Iraqi Kurdistan]], ''de facto'' national)<ref name=IMFA/> (21 March)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bank-holidays.com/holidays.php?annee=2010&id_pays=84 |title=Iraq 2010 Bank Holidays |publisher=Bank-holidays.com |access-date=6 April 2010}}</ref>
* {{Flagicon|Kazakhstan}} [[Kazakhstan]] (21 March to 24 March, total of four days)<ref name="stan" >{{cite web|url=http://www.fravahr.org/spip.php?breve167 |title=Celebrating Nowruz in Central Asia |publisher=fravahr.org |access-date=23 March 2007}}</ref>
* {{Flagicon|Kosovo}} [[Kosovo]] (21 March)
* {{Flagicon|Kyrgyzstan}} [[Kyrgyzstan]] (21 March)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.payvand.com/news/06/mar/1225.html |title=Norouz in Kyrgyzstan |publisher=Payvand.com |date=26 March 2006 |access-date=6 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bank-holidays.com/holidays.php?annee=2010&id_pays=94 |title=Kyrgyzstan 2010 Bank Holidays |publisher=Bank-holidays.com |access-date=6 April 2010}}</ref>
* {{Flagicon|Mongolia}} [[Bayan-Ölgii]], Mongolia (22 March, regional state holiday only)[http://discover-bayanolgii.com/]
* {{Flagicon|Tajikistan}} [[Tajikistan]] (20 March to 23 March, total of four days)<ref name="tajikistan" >{{cite web|url=http://www.bank-holidays.com/holidays.php?annee=2010&id_pays=171 |title=Tajikistan 2010 Bank Holidays |publisher=Bank-holidays.com |access-date=6 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/03/86AFE190-45DF-4C9D-AF81-3A3158C6D595.html |title=Turkmen President Urges Youth To Read 'Rukhnama' |publisher=Rferl.org |date=20 March 2006 |access-date=6 April 2010}}</ref>
* {{Flagicon|Turkmenistan}} [[Turkmenistan]] (21 March to 22 March, total of two days)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bank-holidays.com/holidays.php?annee=2010&id_pays=179 |title=Turkmenistan 2010 Bank Holidays |publisher=Bank-holidays.com |access-date=6 April 2010}}</ref>
* {{Flagicon|Uzbekistan}} [[Uzbekistan]] (21 March)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bank-holidays.com/holidays.php?annee=2010&id_pays=129 |title=Uzbekistan 2010 Bank Holidays |publisher=Bank-holidays.com |access-date=6 April 2010}}</ref>

The [[Parliament of Canada]], on 30 March 2009, by unanimous consent, passed a bill to add Nowruz to the national calendar of Canada.<ref name="PRESSTV">{{cite web |url=http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/90377.html |title=Canada parliament recognizes 'Nowruz Day' |access-date=20 March 2015 |date=3 April 2009 |publisher=PRESS TV}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url =http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Docid=3761904&file=4 | title = Bill c-342| access-date = 4 April 2009| publisher = House of Commons of Canada}}</ref>

Nowruz is celebrated by [[Kurdish people]] in [[Iraq]]<ref name=IMFA/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/4829542.stm |title=In pictures: Norouz&nbsp;– New Year festival |publisher=BBC News |date=21 March 2006 |access-date=6 April 2010}}</ref> and [[Turkey]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=23126 |title=Clashes erupt at Turkey's Dita e Verës. spring festival |publisher=Dailystar.com.lb |date=22 March 2006 |access-date=6 April 2010}}</ref> as well as by the [[Parsi]]s in the [[Indian subcontinent]].

It is also taken place by [[Iranian people|Iranian]] communities in several regions in Europe and the Americas, including [[Los Angeles]], [[Toronto]], [[Cologne]] and [[London]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/arts/story/2006/03/060317_l-7th-norouz-london.shtml |title=BBCPersian.com |publisher=BBC.co.uk |access-date=6 April 2010}}</ref>  But because Los Angeles is prone to devastating fires, there are very strict fire codes in the city. No fires are allowed even on one's own property. Usually, Iranians living in Southern California go to the beaches to celebrate the event where it is permissible to build fires.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/22_folder/22_articles/22_noruz.html |title=Novruz... Celebration That Would Not Die |publisher=Azer.com |date=13 March 1990 |access-date=6 April 2010}}</ref> On 15 March 2010, the [[House of Representatives of the United States]] passed the ''Nowruz Resolution'' (H.Res. 267), by a 384–2 vote,<ref>[http://www.niacouncil.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1683&Itemid=2 ''House Passes Historic Norooz (sic) Resolution''], National Iranian American Council, Monday, 15 March 2010.</ref> "Recognizing the cultural and historical significance of Nowruz, ... ."<ref>[http://www.gop.gov/bill/111/1/hres267 Legislative Digest, GOP.gov, H.Res. 267.]</ref>

<gallery mode=packed>
Tajik girls on holiday Navruz.jpg|Tajik girls celebrating Navruz in [[Dushanbe]], [[Tajikistan]]
Kazakistan nevruz.jpg|Nawrız in [[Kazakhstan]]
Nowruz 2013 in Tekeli.JPG|Nawrız in [[Tekeli, Kazakhstan|Tekeli]], 2013
Traditional costume for Nowruz.JPG|Traditional costume for Nawrız in Kazakhstan
Celebration of Nowruz shared by several countries, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Turkey..jpg|Traditional dancing during a Nowruz festival in [[Paris]]
</gallery>

===Iran===
Nowruz is the most important holiday in Iran, marking the official New Year of the country. It is the first day of [[Farvardin]], the first month of the [[Solar Hijri calendar|Iranian solar calendar]]. In Iran, families celebrate the New Year since the exact time of the [[March equinox]], which is calculated every year.

In Iran, following the [[1979 Revolution]], some elements from the government have attempted to suppress Nowruz with very little success. These considered Nowruz a pagan holiday and a distraction from [[Islamic holidays]].<ref>[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C00EFDB1F31F933A15750C0A9609C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all NYtimes.com, ''New York Times'', 20 March 2006, "Ayatollahs Aside, Iranians Jump for Joy at Spring", by Michael Slackman; Nazila Fathi contributed reporting from Tehran for this article]</ref>

<gallery mode=packed>
Sabzeh for norouz.jpg|Greenery shop for the [[Haft Seen]] setting in Iran
Nowruz Tehran2013.jpg|[[Haft Seen]] in [[Toopkhaneh|Tupkhane Square]] of [[Tehran]], 2013
Nowruz at the Palladium Shopping Center, Tehran.jpg|Celebrating Nowruz at a mall in [[Tehran]], Iran
Nowruz at the Palladium Mall, Tehran.jpg|Traditional setting for Nowruz at a mall in [[Tehran]], Iran
HaftSeen2.JPG|thumb|[[Haft Seen]] table in a hotel in [[Tehran]], Iran
People Singing EY IRAN anthem @ Persian New Year (Nowruz) Concert - Oberhausen Arena - March 2014.png|thumb|Persian New Year Concert in [[Oberhausen Arena]]
</gallery>

===Azerbaijan===
{{Main article|Novruz in Azerbaijan}}
After Iran, the Republic of Azerbaijan hosts the greatest number of public holidays related to Nowruz, with a total of seven days.<ref name="Azerbaijan 2010 Bank Holidays"/>

In Azerbaijan, the holiday goes on for several days and ends with festive public dancing and other entertainment of folk bands, as well as the contests of national sports. In rural areas, crop holidays are also marked.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.studentsoftheworld.info/sites/arts/3559.php |title=Studentsoftheworld&nbsp;– Azeri Traditions |publisher=Studentsoftheworld.info |access-date=6 April 2010}}</ref>

<gallery mode=packed>
1996 Novruz bayram.jpg|Novruz on an Azerbaijani stamp
Изображение 1175.jpg|Azerbaijani youth celebrating Novruz
NovuzBaku001.JPG|Novruz in [[Baku]], Azerbaijan
Новруз Баку.jpg|Novruz festival in [[Baku]], Azerbaijan
Novruz003.jpg|Folk dancers in [[Baku]], during the Novruz celebrations
</gallery>

The Azeri diaspora has communal associations that organize Nowruz celebrations in the [https://azeriamericanews.com/tag/nowruz-holiday/ US and Canada] and in [http://vestnikkavkaza.net/articles/society/68622.html Israel]

===Afghanistan===
{{main article|Nowruz in Afghanistan}}
Nauruz is celebrated widely in [[Afghanistan]]. Also known as the ''Farmer's Day'', the observances usually last two weeks, culminating on the first day of the Afghan New Year, on March 21.<ref name="Goodsell">{{cite web |title=Key Afghan, US leadership plant trees for Farmer's Day |author=Lt. j.g. Keith Goodsell |url=http://www.centcom.mil/news/key-afghan-us-leadership-plant-trees-for-farmer-s-day |publisher=[[United States Central Command]] |date=March 7, 2011 |accessdate=2012-12-03}}</ref> During the Taliban rule (1996–2001), Nauruz was banned and considered "an ancient pagan holiday centered on fire worship".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://usembassy-israel.org.il/publish/peace/archives/2002/march/032109.html |title=USembassy-Israel.org |publisher=USembassy-Israel.org |date=2002-03-20 |accessdate=2010-04-06}}</ref>

===Albania===
In [[Albania]], the day of ''Sultan Nevruzit'' is celebrated as a mainly mystical day by the [[Bektashi]] sect. There are special ceremonies in the [[Zawiyya|Tekke]], led by the clergy, and large meals are served there. They celebrate this day as the birthday of [[Ali]].

Alongside the religious celebration, all Albanians celebrate a secular version of Nowruz, which is referred to as the ''[[Spring Day]]'' ({{lang-sq|Dita e Verës}}).

===Armenia===
Since the extinction during the 19th century, Nowruz is not celebrated by [[Armenians]] and is not a public holiday in [[Armenia]]. However, it is celebrated in Armenia by tens of thousands of Iranian tourists who visit Armenia with relative ease.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Katrandjian|first1=Olivia|title=Booze and relative freedom lure Iranians to Christian enclave to the north|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2010/05/iran-armenia-booze-and-relative-freedom-lure-iranians-to-christian-enclave-to-the-north.html|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=16 May 2010}}</ref> The influx of tourists from Iran accelerated since around 2010–11.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Smbatian|first1=Hasmik|title=Iranians Flock To Armenia On Norouz Holiday|url=http://www.rferl.org/content/iranians_armenia_norouz_holiday_travel/2347526.html|agency=[[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]]|date=23 March 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Mkrtchyan|first1=Gayane|title=Nowruz in Armenia: Many Iranians again prefer Yerevan for spending their New Year holiday|url=http://www.armenianow.com/features/28417/armenia_nowruz_iranian_new_year|work=[[ArmeniaNow]]|date=22 March 2011}}</ref> In 2010 alone, around 27,600 Iranians spent Nowruz in capital [[Yerevan]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Katrandjian|first1=Olivia|title=Postcard from Armenia|url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2010/05/armenia-the-new-iranian-tourist-destination.html|agency=[[PBS]]|date=16 May 2010}}</ref>

In 2015, President [[Serzh Sargsyan]] sent a letter of congratulations to [[Kurds in Armenia|Kurds living in Armenia]] and to the Iranian political leadership on the occasion of Nowruz.<ref>{{cite news|title=President Sargsyan: Happy Nowruz to Armenia's Kurds and Iran|url=http://hetq.am/eng/news/59168/president-sargsyan-happy-nowruz-toarmenias-kurds-and-iran.html|work=[[Hetq Online]]|date=21 March 2015}}</ref>

===China===
Traditionally, Nowruz is celebrated mainly in China's [[Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region]] by the [[Uyghurs]], [[Tajiks in China|Chinese Tajik]], Salar, and [[Kazakhs|Kazakh]] ethnicities.<ref name="xinhuanet.com"/>

It's a tradition for people to plant trees, dredge irrigation canals, clean houses and prepare scrumptious food for guests during the festival.{{citation needed|date=May 2015}}

===Georgia===
Nowruz is not celebrated by [[Georgians]] (excluding those who live in [[Iranian Georgians|Iran]] and [[Ingiloy people|Azerbaijan]]), but it has become a public holiday in [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] since 2010. It is widely celebrated by the country's large [[Azerbaijanis in Georgia|Azerbaijani minority]] (~7% of the total population)<ref name="agenda.ge">{{cite web|url=http://agenda.ge/article/743/eng|title=''Spring is in the air: Novruz in Tbilisi''|accessdate=25 September 2015}}</ref> as well as by the [[Iran]]ians living in Georgia.<ref name="agenda.ge"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7Gi4yf3OXM|title=Iranians in Georgia celebrate Nowruz|accessdate=25 September 2015}}</ref> Most Georgian Azerbaijanis live in [[Kvemo Kartli]], [[Kakheti]], [[Shida Kartli]], and [[Mtskheta-Mtianeti]] regions. In addition, there is also a large historical Azerbaijani community in the capital city of Tbilisi, thus marking these as the core regions of celebration in Georgia.<ref name="agenda.ge"/> Every year, large festivities are held notably in the capital [[Tbilisi]].<ref name="agenda.ge"/> Georgian politicians have attended the festivities in the capital over the years, and have congratulated the Nowruz-observing ethnic groups and nationals in Georgia on the day of Nowruz.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.georgianjournal.ge/news/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4154%3Anowruz-byram-to-be-celebrated-in-tbilisi-today-&catid=9%3Anews&Itemid=23|title=''Nowruz Byram to be Celebrated in Tbilisi today''|accessdate=25 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ombudsman.ge/en/news/public-defender-congratulates-georgian-citizens-of-azeri-origin-with-nowruz-bairam.page|title=''Public Defender congratulates Georgian citizens of Azeri Origin with Nowruz Bairam''|accessdate=25 September 2015}}</ref>

===Kurds===
{{Main article|Newroz as celebrated by Kurds}}
[[File:Newroz Istanbul(5).jpg|thumb|left|Newroz in [[Istanbul]], [[Turkey]]]]
Newroz (or ''Nevruz'') is largely considered as a potent symbol of Kurdish identity in [[Turkey]], even if there are some [[Turkish people|Turks]] (including Turkmens) celebrating the festival. The Kurds of Turkey celebrate this feast between 18th till 21 March. Kurds gather into fairgrounds mostly outside the cities to welcome spring. Women wear colored dresses and spangled head scarves and young men wave flags of green, yellow and red, the historic colors of Kurdish people. They hold this festival by lighting fire and dancing around it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marcocavallini.it/kurdish.html |title=Kurdistan turco |publisher=Marcocavallini.it |accessdate=2010-04-06}}</ref> Newroz celebrations are usually organised by Kurdish cultural associations and pro-Kurdish political parties. Thus, the [[Democratic Society Party]] was a leading force in the organisation of the 2006 Newroz events throughout Turkey. In recent years, the Newroz celebration gathers around 1 million participants in [[Diyarbakır]], the biggest city of the Kurdish dominated Southeastern Turkey. As the Kurdish Newroz celebrations in Turkey often are theater for political messages, the events are frequently criticized for being political rallies rather than cultural celebrations.

Until 2005, the Kurdish population of Turkey could not celebrate their New Year openly.<ref>Zaki Chehab, ''Inside the resistance: the Iraqi insurgency and the future of the Middle East'', Published by Nation Books, 2005, ISBN 1-56025-746-6, p. 198</ref> "Thousands of people have been detained in Turkey, as the authorities take action against suspected supporters of the Kurdish rebel movement, the PKK.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/300830.stm |title=Turkish police arrest thousands |publisher=BBC News |date=1999-03-22 |accessdate=2013-03-27}}</ref> The holiday is now official in Turkey after international pressure on the Turkish government to lift culture bans. Turkish government renamed the holiday ''Nevroz'' in 1995.<ref>Marianne Heiberg, Brendan O'Leary, John Tirman. ''Terror, Insurgency, and the State: Ending Protracted Conflicts'', p.&nbsp;337.</ref> In the recent years, limitations on expressions of Kurdish national identity, including the usage of [[Kurdish languages|Kurdish]] in the public sphere, have been considerably relaxed.

On 21 March 2013, PKK leader [[Abdullah Ocalan]] called for a ceasefire through a message that was released in [[Diyarbakır]] during the Newroz celebrations.<ref name="Ocalan calls for ceasefire">{{cite web|title=Turkey Kurds: PKK chief Ocalan calls for ceasefire|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21874427|work=BBC News|accessdate=21 March 2013}}</ref>

In Syria, the Kurds dress up in their national dress and celebrate the New Year.<ref>{{cite book | title = The Kurds | first = Philip G. | last = Kreyenbroek |author2=Sperl, Stefan Sperl   | publisher = Routledge | year = 1991 | isbn = 0-415-07265-4}}</ref> According to Human Rights Watch, the Kurds have had to struggle to celebrate Newroz, and in the past the celebration has led to violent oppression, leading to several deaths and mass arrests.<ref>{{cite web | title = Syria: Mass arrests of Syrian Kurds and fear of torture and other ill-treatment | url = http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE240202004?open&of=ENG-352 | date = 16 March 2004 | access-date = 10 March 2007 | publisher = Amnesty International | author = Amnesty International |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20061119034152/http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE240202004?open&of=ENG-352 |archivedate = 2006-11-19}}</ref> The government has stated that the Newroz celebrations will be tolerated as long as they do not become political demonstrations of the treatment of the Kurds.<ref name="Yildiz">{{cite book | title = The Kurds: Culture and Language Rights | first = Kerim | last = Yildiz |author2=Fryer, Georgina  | publisher = Kurdish Human Rights Project | year = 2004 | isbn = 1-900175-74-6}}</ref> During the Newroz celebrations in 2008, three Kurds were shot dead by Syrian security forces.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1396362.php/Three_Kurds_killed_in_Syria_shooting_human_rights_group_says|title=Three Kurds killed in Syria shooting, human rights group says – Middle East<!-- Bot generated title -->|author=|date=|work=MonstersAndCritics.com|access-date=20 March 2017}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL21565217 | title=Police kill three Kurds in northeast Syria&nbsp;– group | date=21 March 2008 | agency=Reuters}}</ref>

Kurds in the [[diaspora]] also celebrate the New Year; for example, Kurds in Australia celebrate Newroz, not only as the beginning of the new year, but also as the Kurdish National Day. The Kurds in Finland celebrate the new year as a way of demonstrating their support for the Kurdish cause.<ref>{{cite book | title = Kurdish Diasporas: A Comparative Study of Kurdish Refugee Communities | first = Osten | last = Wahlbeck | publisher = Palgrave Macmillan | year = 1999 | isbn = 0-312-22067-7}}</ref>  Also in London, organizers estimated that 25000 people celebrated Newroz during March 2006.<ref>{{cite web|title=London celebrates Newroz: The Kurdish New Year |url=http://www.london.gov.uk/londoner/06mar/p7b.jsp?nav=on |accessdate=2007-03-10 |date=March 2006 |work=The Londoner |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930202641/http://www.london.gov.uk/londoner/06mar/p7b.jsp?nav=on |archivedate=September 30, 2007 }}</ref>

===Pakistan===
Nowruz celebrations are observed by some of the ethnic groups in Pakistan, such as the Pashtuns and Baloch people. It may last weeks,{{citation needed|date=March 2016}} particularly in the states of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, from where the largest groups of Pakistan's Iranian-speaking people originate from (Pashtuns and Balochis respectively).

===Parsis (Indian subcontinent)===
The Parsi New Year is celebrated as ''Jamshed Navroz'' by the entire [[Parsi]] community across the world. The festival falls on the first day of the first month of the [[Fasli calendar]], followed by the Parsis.{{citation needed|date=June 2015}} This falls in the month of March, according to the [[Gregorian calendar]]. As the day commences with the advent of spring or the vernal equinox, Jamshed Navroz is celebrated with immense fun and fervor. Zoroastrian Parsis observe the festival by performing the rituals and rites with full devotion and duty. A particular sect of Parsis resides in the western part of India and hence, Jamshed Navroz celebrations can be prominently noticed in these regions.

==Observances==
===House cleaning and shopping===
{{Further information|Spring cleaning}}
House cleaning, or ''shaking the house'' ({{lang|fa|خانه تکانی}} – {{transl|fa|''xane tekāni''}}) as referred to by Persian-speaking Iranians, is commonly observed before the arrival of Nowruz. People start preparing for Nowruz with a major spring-cleaning of their house and the purchase of new clothes to wear for the New Year, as well the purchase of flowers. In particular, the [[hyacinth (plant)|hyacinth]] and the [[tulip]] are popular and conspicuous.

In association with the "rebirth of nature", extensive spring cleaning is a national tradition observed by almost every household in Iran. This is also extended to personal attire, and it is customary to buy at least one set of new clothes.

Parsis adorn their houses with different auspicious symbols; namely, stars, butterflies, birds and fish. They order and make new attires especially for the festival. On the day of Navroz, they dress in their new and best clothes and put on gold and silver kustis and caps. They decorate the doors and windows with garlands of roses and jasmines, and use color powders for creating patterns known as ''rangoli'' on the steps and thresholds. Fish and floral motifs are a favorite among rangolis and considered highly auspicious.{{citation needed|date=June 2015}}

===Festival of Charshanbe Suri===
{{Main article|Chaharshanbe Suri{{!}}Charshanbe Suri}}
[[File:Chaharshanbe Suri Lozupone NYC 2016 1.png|thumb|left|[[Charshanbe Suri]] in [[New York City]], March 2016]]
[[Charshanbe Suri]] ({{lang-fa|چارشنبه ‌سوری}} – {{transl|fa|''Čāršanbe Suri''}}; {{lang-ku|''Çarşema Sor''}}; {{lang-az|Çərşənbə Bayramı}}) 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, and is obtained by people making bonfires and jumping over them, as well as setting off [[fireworks]] and sparklers.

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&nbsp;– water, fire, earth and wind.<ref name=nowaze>{{cite web|url=http://www.azerembassy-kuwait.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=167:international-day-of-nowruz-21-march-&catid=8:news-a-events&Itemid=37 |title=International Day of Nowruz- 21 March |publisher=Azerembassy-kuwait.org |date=2010-03-17 |accessdate=2010-04-06}}</ref> On the holiday eve, the graves of relatives are visited and tended.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.everyculture.com/A-Bo/Azerbaijan.html |title=Azerbaijani traditions |publisher=Everyculture.com |date=1918-05-28 |accessdate=2010-04-06}}</ref>

Iranians sing the traditional poetic quote ''zardi ye man az to, sorkhi ye to az man'' during the festival, which literally means "my yellow is yours, your red is mine"; meaning you want the fire to replace your pallor, sickness, and problems with warmth and energy. [[Trail mix]] and [[berries]] are also served during the celebration.

Spoon hitting ({{lang|fa|قاشق زنی}} – {{transl|fa|''qāšoq zani''}}) is an Iranian tradition observed on the eve of Charshanbe Suri, which is similar to the [[Halloween]] custom [[Trick-or-treating]]. It is practiced by people wearing [[disguise]]s and going door-to-door to bang spoons against plates or bowls and receive packaged [[snack]]s.

In Azerbaijan, according to old traditions, 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 all the while hiding nearby waiting for candies, pastries and nuts.<ref name=nowaze />

The ritual of jumping over fire has remained in Armenia in the feast of ''[[Trndez]]'', which is a feast of purification in the [[Armenian Apostolic Church]] and [[Armenian Catholic Church]]es, celebrated forty days after [[Jesus]]'s birth.<ref>Marshall, Bonnie C.: Tashjian, Virginia A,m  ''The Flower of Paradise and Other Armenian Tales'' Libraries Unlimited 2007 page xxii</ref>

Among the [[Yazidis]], this festival is celebrated on the first Wednesday of Nisan (April) which marks their New Year's Day.

===Festivals of Gul-i-Surkh and Dehqān===
In Afghanistan, the festival of Gul-i-Surkh ({{lang-prs|گل سرخ}}; "Red Flower," referring to red [[tulip]] flowers) is the principal festival for Nauruz. It is celebrated in [[Mazar-i-Sharif]] during the first 40 days of the year, when the tulip flowers grow in the green plains and over the hills surrounding the city. People from all over the country travel to Mazar-i-Sharif to attend the Nauruz festivals. Various activities and customs are performed during the Gul-i-Surkh festival, including:
* ''Jahenda Bala'' ({{lang-prs|جهنده بالا}}; "Raising"), which is celebrated on the first day of the New Year,<ref>Malthe Conrad Bruun, Universal geography, or A description of all the parts of the world, Vol. II., London 1822, Pg 282</ref> and is attended by high-ranking government officials such as the Vice-President, Ministers, and Provincial Governors – It is a specific religious ceremony performed at the [[Shrine of Ali|Blue Mosque]] of Mazar-i-Sharif. The ceremony is performed by raising a special banner whose color configuration resembles [[Derafsh Kaviani]]. This is the biggest recorded Nawroz gathering where up to 200,000 people from all over Afghanistan get together to celebrate the ceremony.
* ''[[Buzkashi]]'' tournament, held during the Gul-i-Surkh festival in Mazar-i-Sharif, [[Kabul]] and other northern cities of Afghanistan

The festival of ''Dehqān'' ({{lang-prs|دهقان}}; "Farmer") is celebrated on the first day of the New Year, in which the farmers walk in the cities as a sign of encouragement for the agricultural productions. In recent years, this activity is being performed only in Kabul and other major cities of Afghanistan, in which the mayor and other high governmental personalities participate for watching and observing.

The citizens of [[Kabul]] go to [[Istalif]], [[Charikar]] or other green places around where the [[Cercis]] flowers grow. They go for picnic with their families during the first two weeks of the New Year.

===Decorative tables===
====Haft Seen====
{{Main article|Haft Seen}}
Haft Seen ({{lang-fa|هفت سین}} – {{transl|fa|''Haft Sin''}}); "Seven S's") is the traditional [[table setting]] of Nowruz in Iran. Typically, before the arrival of Nowruz, family members gather around a table, with the Haft Seen set on it, and await the exact moment of the [[March equinox]] to celebrate the New Year. At that time, the New Year gifts are exchanged.

The setting includes seven items starting with the letter ''S'' or ''seen'' ({{lang|fa|س}}) in the [[Persian alphabet|Perso-Arabic alphabet]]. The items include:
* Greenery ({{lang|fa|سبزه}} – {{transl|fa|''sabze''}}): [[Wheat]], [[barley]] or [[lentil]] sprouts grown in a dish
* [[Samanu]] ({{lang|fa|سمنو}} – {{transl|fa|''samanu''}}): A sweet pudding made from germinated wheat
* The dried fruit of the [[Elaeagnus angustifolia|oleaster]] tree ({{lang|fa|سنجد}} – {{transl|fa|''senjed''}})
* [[Garlic]] ({{lang|fa|سیر}} – {{transl|fa|''sir''}})
* [[Apples]] ({{lang|fa|سیب}} – {{transl|fa|''sib''}})
* [[Sumac]] berries ({{lang|fa|سماق}} – {{transl|fa|''somāq''}})
* [[Vinegar]] ({{lang|fa|سرکه}} – {{transl|fa|''serke''}})

These items are also known to have astrological correlations to planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Sun and Moon.{{citation needed|date=March 2017}}

Other symbolic items which are usually set along the Haft Seen are [[candle]]s, a mirror, decorating coins, and [[egg decorating|decorated eggs]] (sometimes one for each member of the family). A bowl of water with [[goldfish]],<ref>A. Shapur Shahbazi, [http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/haft-sin "Haft Sin"], Encyclopædia Iranica, Vol XI, Fasc. 5, pp. 524–526.</ref> a holy book (e.g. the [[Avesta]] or [[Quran]]) and/or a poetry book (e.g. the Divan of [[Hafez]]), and [[rose water]] are also included to the setting.

The custom and the traditional practice of Haft Seen has been changed over times. The initial term ''Haft Chin'' meaning "the seven collected", has been gradually altered to the present-day name of the setting.

<gallery mode=packed>
Sabzeh, displayed during Nowruz.jpg|Greenery for Haft Seen
Haft Seen 1392.jpg|A Haft Seen table
Haft Seen 1393.jpg|A Haft Seen table
White house haft seen.jpg|A 2008 [[White House]] Haft Seen
Persian New Year Table - Haft Sin -in Holland - Nowruz - Photo by Pejman Akbarzadeh PDN.JPG|A [[Haft Seen]] table
</gallery>

====Haft Mewa====
In Afghanistan, people prepare Haft Mewa ({{lang-prs|هفت میوه}} – {{transl|prs|''Haft Mēwa''}}; literally "the Seven Fruits") for the New Year's Day. It is similar to a [[fruit salad]], and is made from seven different [[dried fruit]]s served in their own [[syrup]].

The seven dried fruits prepared for the Haft Mewa setting include:
* [[Raisin]]
* Senjed, the dried fruit of the [[Elaeagnus angustifolia|oleaster]] tree.
* [[Pistachio]]
* [[Common Hazel|Hazelnut]]
* [[Prune (fruit)|Prune]], the dry fruit of [[apricot]].
* [[Walnut]]
* [[Almond]] or other species of [[plum]] fruits.

====Khoncha====
In Azerbaijan, the decoration of the festive table is called ''Khoncha'' ({{lang-az|Xonça}}). It consists of a big silver or copper tray, with [[Samani]] placed in the center, as well as candles and dyed eggs by the number of family members around it.

The table should be set, at least, with seven dishes.<ref name=nowaze />

<gallery mode=packed>
Novruz xoncasi.JPG|A Khoncha setting.
Səməni.jpg|[[Samani]]
Azerigirl1 ira.JPG|A girl with Khoncha.
Samani.jpg|A giant [[Samani]] in [[Baku]].
Xonça DSC 0116.JPG|A Khoncha setting.
</gallery>

===Traditional heralds===
====Amu Nowruz and Haji Firuz====
{{main article|Amu Nowruz|Hajji Firuz}}
[[File:Amu Nowruz.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Amu Nowruz]]]]
[[File:Haji Firuz on the road.jpg|thumb|[[Hajji Firuz|Haji Firuz]] performers on a road to [[Tehran]].]]
In Iran, the traditional heralds of the festival of Nowruz are [[Amu Nowruz]] and [[Hajji Firuz|Haji Firuz]], who appear annually in the streets to celebrate the New Year.

Amu Nowruz brings children gifts, much like his [[Christianity|Christian]] counterpart [[Santa Claus]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Haji Firooz & Amoo Norooz – The Persian Troubadour & Santa Claus |url=http://www.persianmirror.com/celebrations/noruz/noruz.cfm#haji |work=PersianMirror Article |date=15 November 2004 |accessdate=3 March 2010}}</ref> He is the husband of [[Nane Sarma]], with whom he shares a traditional love story in which they can meet each other only once a year.<ref>''[https://books.google.com/books?id=yg09JDpWdWkC&pg=PA151&lpg=PA151&dq=Amu+Nowruz&source=bl&ots=3Id8Bw3U5s&sig=h2J8aSMBy_zTcuSE9BBXAR4FQ4Q&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Amu%20Nowruz&f=false Thus Speaks Mother Simorq]'', Page 151</ref><ref>[[Iranica]]: ''[http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/pir-e-zan Pir-e Zan]''</ref> He is characterized as an elderly silver-haired man who puts on a felt hat, and has a walking stick, a long cloak of blue canvas, a sash, a pair of thin-soled [[giveh]], and a pair of linen trousers.<ref>''[http://web.shirazu.ac.ir/en/files/extract_file.php?file_id=1394 Amu Nowruz]'', Fazlollah Mohtadi, ''Shiraz University Centre for Children's Literature Studies''</ref>

Haji Firuz, a blackface character clad in bright red clothes and a felt hat, is the companion of Amu Nowruz. He dances through the streets while singing and playing a tambourine. In the traditional songs, he introduces himself as a serf trying to cheer people who he refers to as his lords. As a blackface serf, it is a controversial character, seen as symbolically racist.<ref>''Faces around the World: A Cultural Encyclopedia of the Human Face'' By Margo DeMello – Black Face, Page 28</ref> Therefore, half of his face is sometimes painted white in order to prevent the criticisms.

====Kampirak====
In the folklore of Afghanistan, Kampirak and his retinue pass village by village distributing gathered charities among people. He is an old bearded man wearing colorful clothes with a long hat and rosary who symbolizes beneficence and the power of nature yielding the forces of winter. The tradition is observed in central provinces, specially [[Bamyan Province|Bamyan]] and [[Daykundi Province|Daykundi]].<ref>{{cite web | first=Ayub | last=Arvin | title=نوروز و چالش‌های سیاسی و مذهبی در افغانستان | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/afghanistan/2010/03/100321_k02-afg-norouz-challenges.shtml | publisher=BBC Persian | location=London | accessdate=2010-03-23 }}</ref>

===Visiting one another===
During the Nowruz holidays, people are expected to visit one another (mostly limited to families, friends and neighbors) in the form of short house visits, which are usually reciprocated. Typically, the youth will visit the elders first, and the elders return their visit later.

In Iran, the visits naturally have to be relatively short, otherwise one will not be able to visit everybody on the list. A typical visit is lesser than 30 minutes, where you often run into other visiting relatives and friends who happen to be paying a visit to the same house at that time.

Because of the house visits, you make sure you have a sufficient supply of pastry, cookies, fresh and dried fruits and mixed nuts on hand, as you typically serve your visitors with these items with tea and other beverages. Many Iranians will throw large Nowruz parties in a central location as a way of dealing with the long distances between groups of friends and family.

===Sizdebedar===
{{Main article|Sizdah Be-dar{{!}}Sizdebedar}}
In Iran, the Nowruz holidays last thirteen days. On the thirteenth day of the New Year, Iranians leave their houses to join nature and [[picnic|picnic outdoors]], as part of the [[Sizdah Be-dar|Sizdebedar]] ceremony.

On the day of Sizdebedar, the greenery grown for the [[Haft Seen]] setting is thrown away, particularly into a 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 Sizdebedar is ''Lie of the Thirteen'', which is the process of lying to someone and making them believe it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://theodysseyonline.com/ucla/april-1st-tra/37775|title=April 1st Traditions from Around the World|author=Taylor Mahaffey|date=3 April 2014|work=TheOdysseyOnline.com|access-date=20 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fundootimes.com/festivals/iran-islamic-republic-of-april-fools-day.html|title=April Fools' Day in Iran - Origin and History of Sizdah Bedar in Iran - Sizdah Bedar Date Iran|author=|date=|work=FundooTimes.com|access-date=20 March 2017}}</ref><ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/12195948/April-Fools-Day-why-do-we-play-pranks-on-this-day.html "April Fools' Day 2016: how did the tradition originate and what are the best pranks?". Emily Allen and Juliet Eysenck. ''Telegraph''. 17 March 2016.]</ref> It has been directly borrowed from [[April Fools' Day]], and has become in vogue in Iran due to its coincidence with the day of the celebration of Sizdebedar.

===Cuisine===
[[File:Baklava - Turkish special, 80-ply.JPEG|thumb|upright|[[Baklava]]]]
[[File:Sabzi polo.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Sabzi polo]]w]]

====Desserts and snacks====
* Ajil ([[Kurds]], [[Persian people|Persians]]): [[Trail mix]]
* [[Baklava]] ([[Azerbaijanis]], [[Persian people|Persians]], [[Turkish people|Turks]]): A flaky pastry filled with walnuts, almonds or pistachios, and flavored with rosewater
* [[Falooda]] dessert ([[Parsi]]s): A sweet milk drink made from vermicelli and flavored with rose essence
* Lagan-nu-custard dessert ([[Parsi]]s): A type of [[crème caramel|caramel custard]].
* Nan berenji ([[Iran]]ians): Cookies made from [[rice flour]]
* [[Noghl|Noql]] ([[Pashtuns]], [[Persian people|Persians]], [[Tajiks]]): Sugar-coated almonds
* [[Samanu]] ([[Azerbaijanis]], [[Kurds]], [[Persian people|Persians]]): Sprouted wheat pudding
* [[Shekerbura]] ([[Azerbaijanis]]): Azerbaijani sweet pastries
* Shorgoghal ([[Azerbaijanis]]): Flaky bread with a spice filling

====Dishes====
* [[Ash reshteh|Ash e reshte]] ([[Iran]]ians): A noodle soup traditionally served on the first day of Nowruz.<ref>Celebrating Noruz: A Resource Guide for Educators. ''Harvard University. ''http://cmes.hmdc.harvard.edu/files/NowruzCurriculumText.pdf</ref>
* Chicken farcha ([[Parsi]]s): A typical Parsi dish of fried chicken.
* [[Dolma]] ([[Azerbaijanis]]): A traditional dish of Azeri people, cooked just before the New Year. It includes vegetables, meat and rice which have been cooked, then rolled in grape leaves and cooked again.
* Fried fish and jelabi ([[Afghanistan|Afghans]]): The most often meal of the Nauruz picnics in Afghanistan.
* [[Kuku (food)|Kuku sabzi]] ([[Iran]]ians): Herbs and vegetable [[soufflé]], traditionally served for dinner on New Year's. It is a light and fluffy omelet made with parsley, dill herb, coriander greens (cilantro), [[spinach]], [[spring onion]] leaves and chives, mixed with eggs and [[walnut]]s.
* Kulcha-e Nauruzī ([[Pashtuns]], [[Tajiks]]): Afghan rice cookies which are only baked for Nauruz.
* Nawrız koje ([[Kazakhs]]): A traditional New Year's Day dish of the Kazakh people, which includes water, meat, salt, flour, grain and milk.
* Reshte polow ([[Iran]]ians): Rice cooked with noodles.
* Sabzi chalaw ([[Pashtuns]], [[Tajiks]]): A dish made from rice and [[spinach]].
* [[Sabzi polo]]w with [[Fish as food|fish]] ([[Iran]]ians): A traditional New Year's Day meal of rice with green herbs, served with fish. The traditional seasonings for sabzi polow are [[parsley]], [[coriander]] greens (cilantro), [[chives]], [[dill]] herb and [[fenugreek]] greens.

==Mythology==
[[File:Nowruz Zoroastrian.jpg|thumb|[[Bas-relief]] in Persepolis, depicting a symbol in [[Zoroastrianism]] for Nowruz.<ref group=note>Eternally fighting bull (personifying the moon), and a lion (personifying the sun) representing the spring.</ref>]]
There exist various foundation myths for Nowruz in [[Iranian mythology]].

The [[Shahnameh]] dates Nowruz as far back to the reign of [[Jamshid]], who in [[Zoroastrian]] texts saved mankind from a killer winter that was destined to kill every living creature.<ref>[http://poj.peeters-leuven.be/content.php?url=issue&journal_code=PERS&issue=0&vol=18 Moazami, M. "The Legend of the Flood in Zoroastrian Tradition." Persica 18: 55–74, (2002) Document Details]</ref> Jamshid, the mythical Iranian king, perhaps symbolizes the transition of the Proto-Iranians from animal hunting to [[animal husbandry]] and a more settled life in human history.{{citation needed|date=April 2016}} In the Shahnameh and Iranian mythology, he is credited with the foundation of Nowruz. The book reads that Jamshid constructed a throne studded with gems. He had demons raise him above the earth into the heavens; there he sat on his throne like the sun shining in the sky. The world's creatures gathered in wonder about him and the scattered jewels around him, and called this day the ''New Day'' (''Now Ruz''). This was the first day of [[Farvardin]], which is the first month of the [[Iranian calendar]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amazon.com/Shahnameh-Persian-Kings-Abolqasem-Ferdowsi/dp/0670034851 |title=Shahnameh:a new translation by Dick Davis, Viking Adult, 2006. pg 7 |publisher=Amazon.com |access-date=6 April 2010}}</ref>

==Astronomy==
{{Main article|March equinox}}
[[File:Earth-lighting-equinox EN.png|thumb|Illumination of Earth by the Sun on the day of an equinox.]]
The first day of the [[Iranian calendar]] falls on the [[March equinox]], the first day of spring, around 21 March. At the time of the equinox, the sun is observed to be directly over the [[equator]], and the north and south poles of the Earth lie along the [[terminator (solar)|solar terminator]]. Sunlight is evenly divided between the north and south [[Sphere|hemispheres]].

In around the 11th century CE, major reforms of the Iranian calendars took place and whose principal purpose were to fix the beginning of the calendar year, i.e. Nowruz, at the vernal equinox. Accordingly, the definition of Nowruz given by the Iranian scientist [[Nasir al-Din al-Tusi|Tusi]] was the following: "the first day of the official New Year [Nowruz] was always the day on which the sun entered [[Aries (astrology)|Aries]] before noon."<ref>R. Abdollahy, [http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/calendars#pt2 ''Calendars ii. Islamic period''], in [[Encyclopaedia Iranica]], Vol. 4, London-Newyork, 1990.</ref>

==Calendar==
Nowruz is the first day of [[Farvardin]], the first month of the [[Solar Hijri calendar|Iranian solar calendar]].

In the ''Fasli''/''Bastani'' variant of the Zoroastrian calendar, Navroz is always the day of the [[vernal equinox]] (nominally falling on March 21).

In the ''Shahenshahi'' and ''Kadmi'' calendars, which do not account for leap years, the New Year's Day has drifted ahead by over 200 days. These latter two variants of the calendar, which are only followed by the Zoroastrians of Pakistan and India, celebrate the spring equinox as ''Jamshed-i Nouroz'', with New Year's Day then being celebrated in July–August as [[Pateti]] "(day) of penitence" (from ''patet'' "confession," hence also repentance and penitence).{{citation needed|date=June 2015}}

==Nowruz in religions==
Apart from Zoroastrianism,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Mogul|first1=Priyanka Mogul|title=Nowruz 2016: Who are Persia's Zoroastrians and why is their festival being celebrated in India?|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/nowruz-2016-who-are-persias-zoroastrians-why-their-festival-being-celebrated-india-1550354|accessdate=13 February 2017|agency=International Business Times|date=March 18, 2016}}</ref> Nowruz has been entered into the contexts of some other religions and faiths.

There exist narrations in the [[Shia Islam|Shia]] literature about the merits of the day of Nowruz, including that the [[The event of Ghadir Khumm|Day of Ghadir]] was on that day, and also the recommendation to fast on the day of Nowruz, the latter appearing in the fatwas of major Shia scholars.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.rafed.net/islamic-articles-v15-1030/miscellaneous/3902-nowruz-in-the-twelver-shia-faith|title=Nowruz in the Twelver Shi’a faith|author=|date=|work=Rafed.net|access-date=20 March 2017}}</ref>

Nowruz is also a holy day for [[Sufism|Sufis]], [[Bektashis]], [[Ismailism|Ismailis]], [[Alawites]],<ref name="i-cias.com">{{cite web|url=http://i-cias.com/e.o/alawites.htm |title=But they also celebrate some of the same festivals as the Christians, like Christmas and Epiphany, as well as Nauruz, which originally is the Zoroastrian New Year. |publisher=I-cias.com |accessdate=2010-04-06}}</ref> [[Alevism|Alevis]], [[Bábism|Babis]] and adherents of the [[Bahá'í Faith]].<ref name="bahai_calendar">{{cite web|url=http://www.bahai.us/bahai-calendar |title=The Baha'i Calendar |access-date=19 March 2007 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060928212500/http://www.bahai.us/bahai-calendar |archivedate=2006-09-28 |df= }}</ref>

===Bahá'í Faith===
{{Main article|Bahá'í Naw-Rúz}}
Naw-Rúz is one of nine holy days for adherents of the [[Bahá'í Faith]] worldwide. It is the first day of the [[Bahá'í calendar]], occurring on the vernal equinox around March 21.<ref name="walbridge">{{cite web |title=Naw-Ruz: The Bahá'í New Year |first=John |last=Walbridge |date=2004-07-11 |url=http://bahai-library.com/walbridge_encyclopedia_nawruz |accessdate=2007-03-14}}</ref> The Bahá'í calendar is composed of 19 months, each of 19 days,<ref name="bne">{{cite book |author=Esslemont, J.E. |year=1980 |title=Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era |edition=5th |publisher=Bahá'í Publishing Trust |location=Wilmette, Illinois, USA |isbn=0-87743-160-4 |url=http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/je/BNE/ |pages=178–179}}</ref>  and each of the months is named after an attribute of God; similarly each of the nineteen days in the month also are named after an attribute of God.<ref name="bne" /> The first day and the first month were given the attribute of [[Bahá'í symbols#Bahá’|Bahá]], an [[Arabic language|Arabic]] word meaning splendour or glory, and thus the first day of the year was the day of Bahá in the month of Bahá.<ref name="walbridge" /><ref name="lehman">{{cite web |first=Dale E. |last=Lehman |date=18 March 2000 |access-date=14 March 2007 |title=A New Year Begins |publisher=Planet Bahá'í |url=http://www.planetbahai.org/cgi-bin/articles.pl?article=46}}</ref> [[Bahá'u'lláh]], the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, explained that Naw-Rúz was associated with the ''Most Great Name'' of God,<ref name="walbridge" /><ref name="lehman" /> and was instituted as a festival for those who observed the [[Nineteen day fast]].<ref name="prayers">{{cite book |title=Bahá'í Prayers |publisher=Bahá'í Publishing Trust |location=Wilmitte, IL |year=1991 |page=261 |author=Bahá'u'lláh}}</ref><ref name="aqdas">{{cite book |author=Bahá'u'lláh |origyear=1873 |year=1992 |title=The Kitáb-i-Aqdas: The Most Holy Book |publisher=Bahá'í Publishing Trust |location=Wilmette, Illinois, USA |isbn=0-85398-999-0 |url=http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/KA/ka-4.html.iso8859-1#pg25 |page=25}}</ref>

The day is also used to symbolize the renewal of time in each religious dispensation.<ref name="iranica">{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia= Encyclopædia Iranica |year= 1989 |article=Bahai Calendar and Festivals | first = Dennis | last = MacEoin}}</ref> [[`Abdu'l-Bahá]], Bahá'u'lláh's son and successor, explained that significance of Naw-Rúz in terms of [[spring (season)|spring]] and the new life it brings.<ref name="walbridge" /> He explained that the equinox is a symbol of the [[Manifestation of God|messengers of God]] and the message that they proclaim is like a spiritual springtime, and that Naw-Rúz is used to commemorate it.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Star of the West |volume=4 |page=4 |author=`Abdu'l-Bahá |date=1913-03-21 |issue=1}} republished in {{cite book |first=Shoghi |last=Effendi |author2=The Universal House of Justice |editor=Hornby, Helen |year=1983 |title=Lights of Guidance: A Bahá'í Reference File |publisher=Bahá'í Publishing Trust, New Delhi, India |isbn=81-85091-46-3 |url=http://bahai-library.com/hornby_lights_guidance}}</ref>

As with all Bahá'í holy days, there are few fixed rules for observing Naw-Rúz, and Bahá'ís all over the world celebrate it as a festive day, according to local custom.<ref name="walbridge" /> Persian Bahá'ís still observe many of the Iranian customs associated with Nowruz such as the Haft Seen, but American Bahá'í communities, for example, may have a [[potluck dinner]], along with prayers and readings from [[Bahá'í literature|Bahá'í scripture]].

===Twelver Shia faith and Shia Ismaili faith===
Along with Ismailis,<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.amaana.org/ismaili/nawruz-persian-new-year/ | title=Nowruz Persian New Year &#8211; Eid Mubarak! &#124; Ismaili Web Amaana | date=15 March 2013 | website=Amaana.org | access-date=22 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theismaili.org/cms/960/Navroz |title=Navroz |publisher=TheIsmaili.org |access-date=12 May 2011 |date=18 March 2010}}</ref> Alawites and Alevis, the [[Twelver|Twelver Shia]] also hold the day of Nowruz in high regard.

It has been said that [[Musa al-Kadhim]], the seventh [[Shia]] [[imam]], has explained Nowruz and said: "In Nowruz God made a covenant with His servants to worship Him and not to allow any partner for Him. To welcome, His messengers and obey their rulings. This day is the ﬁrst day that the fertile wind blow and the ﬂowers on the earth appeared. The archangel [[Gabriel]] appeared to the [[Muhammad|Prophet]], and it is the day that [[Abraham]] broke the [[Idolatry|idols]]. The day Prophet Muhammad held [[Ali]] on his shoulders to destroy the Quraishie's idols in the house of God, the [[Kaaba]]."<ref>{{cite web | date=March 2012 | url=http://www.ic-el.com/en/old/show_news.asp?idnum=61&state=article | title=Nowruz in Islam | publisher=Islamic Centre of England | access-date=22 March 2017 | author=Mireskandari, Anousheh}}</ref>

The day upon which Nowruz falls has been recommended as a day of fasting for Twelver Shia Muslims by Shia scholars, including [[Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei]], [[Ruhollah Khomeini]]<ref>[[Tahrir al Wasila]], by Ayatollah Khomeini, Vol. 1, pg. 302–303</ref> and [[Ali al-Sistani]].<ref>[[Islamic Laws]], by Ali al-Sistani, under the section; "Mustahab Fasts"</ref> The day also assumes special significance for Shias as it has been said that it was on 21&nbsp;March 656&nbsp;AD that the first Shia Imam, Ali, assumed the office of caliphate.

==See also==
* [[Tammuz (deity)]]
{{Portal|Holidays}}
* [[Nowruz Eve among Mazandarani people]]
* [[Vernal Equinox]]
* [[New Year's Day]]
* [[Assyrian new year]]
* [[Sham el-Nessim]]
* [[Akitu]]
* [[Seharane]]
* [[Aroos-Gooleh]]
* [[Ēostre]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Nowruz}}
* {{Britannica|420167}}
* [http://www.farsinet.com/noruz/history.html Time and Date for Nowruz]  around the world
* [http://www.taghvim.com/norooz/ Exact Date & Time of Nowruz] at [Taghvim.com] (not in English)
* [http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/nowruz-index Nowruz] at [[Encyclopædia Iranica]]
* [http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2010/ga10916.doc.htm UN Recognizes Nowruz as an International day]
* [http://www.nowruz.gov.tm/index.php?lang=en Nowruz holiday] {{en icon}}, {{ru icon}}, {{tk icon}}
* [http://www.angelfire.com/rnb/bashiri/Nowruz/NowRuz.html The Persian Nowruz] by Iraj Bashiri
* [http://www.parstimes.com/culture/nowruz/ Nowruz] at [parstimes.com]
* [http://www.7seen.com/ Nowruz Countdown] {{fa icon}}
* [http://www.amaana.org/ismaili/nawruz-persian-new-year/ Nowruz Persian New Year&nbsp;– Amaana.org ]

;Videos
* [http://presstv.com/Program/233957.html Nowrooz holidays in Iran]&nbsp;– [[PressTV]] (2012)
* {{YouTube|nsuAoZ5IYiU|Nowruz- Simply Explained}}

{{Nowruz}}
{{Zoroastrian Calendar}}
{{Intangible Heritage Azerbaijan}}
{{Intangible Heritage Iran}}

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