Nowruz 1401 - Happy New Year!
Persian New Year, Iranian New Year, Nowruz... the Spring Equinox event is celebrated by around 300 million people according to the National Geographic including those from Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Pakistan, Turkey and other countries in Central Asia and West Asia.
While the two-week celebrations centre on seeing relatives, picnicking, travelling, and eating traditional food, Nowruz?itself - which is Farsi for New Day - is steeped in ancient myths and fiction, as well as traditions and symbols.
Preparations
Preparations for Nowruz?celebrations in Iran begin weeks before the start of spring, including house-cleaning (khaneh takani). Families also grow?sabzeh?(wheat, barley, mung bean or lentils) in a dish.
When the greens sprout after a couple of weeks, the dish is placed on the?Haft-seen?table, which is the focus of Nowruz?observance. It is joined by six other symbolic items which start with the Persian letter "seen" or S. That makes seven, a sacred number in Zoroastrianism. They include:
The?Haft-seen?spread also includes other items such as a mirror, symbolising reflection; coloured eggs, for fertility; and goldfish in a bowl, which represent life.
Celebrations
Nowruz?is Iran’s biggest holiday and a momentous time across the country. It usually kicks off with a spring-cleaning ritual called?khane tekani, which translates to ‘shaking down the house’. Once the home is in order, on the last Wednesday before Nowruz, Iranians light up the streets and skies for?Chaharshanbe Suri, or ‘Red Celebration’, in honour of all things fire —?an element Zoroastrians believe to be a symbol of purity.
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People set off endless fireworks, jump over bonfires (to symbolise renewal of life) and release sky lanterns filled with their hopes and dreams for the year ahead.
The Legend of Jamshid
Jamshid, a king in Persian mythology, had command over all the angels and demons of the world, and was both king and high priest of Hormozd. He was responsible for a great many inventions that made life more secure for his people: the manufacture of armor and weapons, the weaving and dyeing of clothes of linen, silk and wool, the building of houses of brick, the mining of jewels and precious metals, the making of perfumes and wine, the art of medicine, the navigation of the waters of the world in sailing ships.?
King Jamshid noticed that during the long, dark winter months,?his subjects descended into darkness?as the Earth worked to heal itself from the harvests of the fall.
When spring finally came and the Earth began to blossom after the healing period of winter, the king wanted to mark that as the start of the new year – a time of?new beginnings?for people and the Earth.
But King Jamshid also noticed that during those dark winter months, many of his subjects had started to quarrel with one another, and injustice threatened to take over. The king decided to mark the beginning of Nowruz with a festival called?Shab-e-Charshanbeh Souri, which translates as “Scarlet Wednesday.”
The festival involves jumping over a series of fires – a tradition brought by the Zoroastrians, who celebrated fire as the sign of everlasting strength and health. The idea behind Charshanbeh-Souri is to jump over the fires to cleanse oneself of the ills – physical, emotional and societal – of the past year. It is a way to prepare for the?rebirth?that Nowruz brings. It is also a time of forgiveness. Joining hands to jump over the fire is a way to heal rifts that are threatening to fracture families all over the world.