Nowruz / Iranian New Year / Persian New Year
Nowruz / Iranian
New Year / Persian New Year
Parsi New Year or Navroz is popularly referred
as Pateti. It is celebrated across the world in August Month. It is also known
as "Jamshedi Navroz" after the legendary King of Persia Jamshed who
started the Parsi calendar.
Nowruz (Persian: نوروز, pronounced [nowˈɾuːz]; lit. 'New day') is the Iranian New Year, also
known as the Persian New Year, which begins on the spring
equinox, marking the first day of Farvardin,
the first month of the Iranian solar calendar. It is celebrated worldwide by various ethno-linguistic
groups, and falls on or around March 21 of the Gregorian calendar. Nowruz falls on March 20 in 2021.
Nowruz has Iranian and Zoroastrian origins;
however, it has been celebrated by diverse communities for over 3,000 years
in Western Asia, Central
Asia, the Caucasus, the Black Sea Basin,
the Balkans, and South Asia. It is a secular holiday for most celebrants that is enjoyed by people of several
different faiths, but remains a holy day for Zoroastrians, Baháʼís, and
some Muslim communities.
As the spring equinox, Nowruz
marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. 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.
While Nowruz has been
celebrated since the reform of the Iranian calendar in
the 11th century CE to mark the new year, the United Nations officially recognized the "International Day
of Nowruz" with the adoption of UN resolution 64/253 in 2010.
Nowruz
The first day of the Iranian calendar falls
on the March
equinox, the first day of spring, around March 21. In the 11th century
CE the Iranian calendar was reformed in order 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 Tusi was
the following: "the first day of the official New Year [Nowruz] was always
the day on which the sun entered Aries before
noon." Nowruz is the first day of Farvardin, the
first month of the Iranian
solar calendar.
Etymology
The word Nowruz is
a combination of Persian words نو now—meaning "new"—and
روز ruz—meaning "day". Pronunciation varies among
Persian dialects, with Eastern dialects using the pronunciation [nawˈɾoːz] (as in Dari and Classical Persian, whereas in
Tajik, it is written as "Наврӯз" Navröz), western
dialects [nowˈɾuːz], and Tehranis [noːˈɾuːz]. A variety of spelling variations for the
word nowruz exist in English-language usage, including novruz, nowruz, nauruz and newroz.
Timing accuracy
Nowruz's timing in Iran is
based on Solar
Hijri algorithmic calendar, which is based on
precise astronomical observations, and moreover use of sophisticated
intercalation system, which makes it more accurate than its European
counterpart, the Gregorian calendar.
Each 2820 year great grand
cycle contains 2137 normal years of 365 days and 683 leap years of 366 days,
with the average year length over the great grand cycle of 365.24219852. This
average is just 0.00000026 (2.6×10−7) of a
day shorter than Newcomb's value for the mean tropical year of 365.24219878 days, but differs considerably more
from the current average vernal equinox year of 365.242362 days, which means
that the new year, intended to fall on the vernal equinox, would drift by half
a day over the course of a cycle. As the source explains, the 2820-year
cycle is erroneous and has never been used in practice.
Charshanbe Suri
Chaharshanbe Suri (Persian: چهارشنبهسوری, romanized: čahâr-šanbeh sūrī (lit.
"Festive Wednesday") is a prelude to the New Year. In Iran, it is celebrated on the eve of the last
Wednesday before Nowruz. It is usually celebrated in the evening by performing
rituals such as jumping over bonfires and
lighting off firecrackers and fireworks.
In Azerbaijan, where the
preparation for Novruz usually begins a month earlier, the festival is held
every Tuesday during four weeks before the holiday of Novruz. Each Tuesday,
people celebrate the day of one of the four elements – water, fire, earth
and wind. On the holiday eve, the graves of relatives are visited and
tended.
Iranians sing the poetic line
"my yellow is yours, your red is mine", which means my weakness to
you and your strength to me (Persian: سرخی تو از من، زردی من از تو, romanized: sorkhi
to az man, zardi man az to) to the fire during the festival, asking
the fire to take away ill-health and problems and replace them with warmth,
health, and energy. Trail
mix and berries are also served during the celebration.
Spoon banging (قاشق زنی) is a tradition observed on the eve of Charshanbe Suri, similar
to the Halloween custom of trick-or-treating. In Iran, people wear disguises and go door-to-door banging spoons against plates
or bowls and receive packaged snacks. In Azerbaijan, children slip around to
their neighbors' homes and apartments on the last Tuesday prior to Novruz,
knock at the doors, and leave their caps or little basket on the thresholds,
hiding nearby to wait for candies, pastries and nuts.
The ritual of jumping over fire
has continued in Armenia in the feast of Trndez, which is a feast of
purification in the Armenian
Apostolic Church and the Armenian
Catholic Church, celebrated forty days after Jesus's
birth.
Sizdah bedar
In Iran, the Nowruz holidays
last thirteen days. On the thirteenth day of the New Year, Iranians leave their
houses to enjoy nature and picnic outdoors,
as part of the Sizdebedar ceremony. The greenery grown for the Haft-sin 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 Sizdah Bedar is the playing of jokes
and pranks, similar to April Fools' Day.
History
and origin
Ancient roots
There exist various foundation
myths for Nowruz in Iranian
mythology.
The Shahnameh credits
the foundation of Nowruz to the mythical Iranian King Jamshid, who saves
mankind from a winter destined to kill every living creature. To defeat
the killer winter, Jamshid constructed a throne studded with gems. He had
demons raise him above the earth into the heavens; there he sat, shining like
the Sun. The world's creatures gathered and scattered jewels around him and
proclaimed that this was the New Day (Now Ruz). This
was the first day of Farvardin, which is the first month of the Iranian calendar.
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. Mary Boyce and Frantz Grenet explain the traditions for
seasonal festivals and comment: "It is possible that the splendor of
the 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)." Akitu was
the Babylonian festivity held during the spring month of Nisan in which Nowruz falls. Since the communal
observations of the ancient Iranians appear in general to have been 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."
Nowruz is partly rooted in the
tradition of Iranian
religions, such as Mithraism and Zoroastrianism. In Mithraism, festivals had a deep linkage with the
Sun's light. The Iranian festivals such as Mehregan (autumnal
equinox), Tirgan, and the eve of Chelle
ye Zemestan (winter solstice) also had
an origin in the Sun god (Mithra). Among other ideas, Zoroastrianism is the
first 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 Gahambar festivals
and Nowruz, which occurs at the spring equinox. According to Mary Boyce, "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. Between sunset on the day of the sixth Gahambar and sunrise of
Nowruz, Hamaspathmaedaya (later known, in its extended form, as Frawardinegan;
and today is 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, 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." 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.
Achaemenid period
Although the word Nowruz is
not recorded in Achaemenid inscriptions, 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. Nowruz
was an important day during the Achaemenid Empire (c.
550–330 BCE). Kings of the different Achaemenid nations would bring
gifts to the King of Kings. The
significance of the ceremony 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.
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.
In 539 BCE, 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 an adoption of Iranian
New Year. 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".
Purim is celebrated the 14 of Adar,
usually within a month before Nowruz as the date of Purim is based on a Lunisolar
calendar, while Nowruz occurs at the spring
equinox. It is possible that the Jews and Iranians of the time may have shared
or adopted similar customs for these holidays. The Lunar new
year of the Middle East occurs on 1 Nisan, the new moon of
the first month of spring, which usually falls within a few weeks of Nowruz.
Parthian and Sassanid periods
Nowruz was the holiday of Parthian dynastic
empires who ruled Iran (248 BCE–224 CE) and the other areas ruled by the
Arsacid dynasties outside of Parthia (such
as the Arsacid dynasties of Armenia and Iberia). There are specific references to the celebration of
Nowruz during the reign of Vologases I (51–78 CE), but these include
no details. 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 Mehregan, a Zoroastrian and Iranian festival celebrated in honor of Mithra.
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 the
mid-winter celebration Sadeh, survived the Muslim conquest of
Persia of 650 CE. Other celebrations such as
the Gahambars and Mehrgan were eventually side-lined or
only observed by Zoroastrians. Nowruz
became the main royal holiday during the Abbasid period. Much like their predecessors in the
Sasanian period, Dehqans would offer gifts to the caliphs and local
rulers at the Nowruz and Mehragan festivals.
Following the demise of the
caliphate and the subsequent re-emergence of Iranian dynasties such as
the Samanids and Buyids, Nowruz became 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.
The Iranian Buyid ruler 'Adud al-Dawla (r.
949–983) customarily welcomed Nowruz in a majestic hall, decked with gold and
silver plates and vases full of fruit and colorful flowers. The King would
sit on the royal throne, and the court astronomer would come forward, kiss the
ground, and congratulate him on the arrival of the New Year. The king
would then summon musicians and singers, and invited his friends to gather and
enjoy a great festive occasion.
Later Turkic and Mongol invaders
did not attempt to abolish Nowruz.
In 1079 AD during the Seljuq
dynasty era, a group of 8 scholars led by astronomer and polymath Omar Khayyam calculated and established the Jalali calendar,
computing the year starting from Nowruz.
Contemporary era
Before the collapse of
the Soviet
Union, Iran and Afghanistan were the only countries
that officially observed the ceremonies of Nowruz. When the Caucasian and Central Asian countries gained independence from the Soviets,
they also declared Nowruz as a national holiday.
Nowruz was added to the UNESCO List of the
Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in
2010.
Holiday
customs
House cleaning and shopping
House cleaning, or shaking
the house (Persian: خانه تکانی, romanized: xāne tekāni) is commonly done before the arrival of
Nowruz. People start preparing for Nowruz with a major spring cleaning of
their homes and by buying new clothes to wear for the New Year, as well as the
purchase of flowers. The hyacinth and the tulip are popular and
conspicuous.
Visiting family and friends
During the Nowruz holidays,
people are expected to make short visits to the homes of family, friends and
neighbors. Typically, young people will visit their elders first, and the
elders return their visit later. Visitors are offered tea and pastries,
cookies, fresh and dried fruits and mixed nuts or other snacks. Many Iranians
throw large Nowruz parties in as a way of dealing with the long distances
between groups of friends and family.
Haft-sin
Typically, before the arrival
of Nowruz, family members gather around the Haft-sin table and await the exact
moment of the March
equinox to celebrate the New Year. The
number 7 and the letter S are related to the seven Ameshasepantas as mentioned
in the Zend-Avesta. They relate to the four elements of Fire, Earth, Air,
Water, and the three life forms of Humans, Animals and Plants. In modern times
the explanation was simplified to mean that the Haft-sin (Persian: هفتسین, seven things beginning with the letter sin (س)) are:
·
Sabze (Persian: سبزه)
– wheat, barley, mung
bean, or lentil sprouts grown in a
dish.
·
Samanu (Persian: سمنو) – sweet pudding made from wheat
germ
·
Persian olive (Persian: سنجد, romanized: senjed)
·
Vinegar (Persian: سرکه, romanized: serke)
·
Apple (Persian: سیب, romanized: sib)
·
Garlic (Persian: سیر, romanized: sir)
·
Sumac (Persian: سماق, romanized: somāq)
The Haft-sin table may also
include a mirror, candles, painted eggs, a
bowl of water, goldfish, coins, hyacinth, and traditional confectioneries. A "book of
wisdom" such as the Quran, Bible, Avesta, the Šāhnāme of Ferdowsi,
or the divān of Hafez may also be included. Haft-sin's origins are
not clear. The practice is believed to have been popularized over the past 100
years.
Haft Mēwa
In Afghanistan, people prepare
Haft Mēwa (Dari: هفت میوه, English: seven fruits) for Nauruz,
a mixture of seven different dried fruits and
nuts (such as raisins, silver
berry, pistachios, hazelnuts, prunes, walnut,
and almonds) served in syrup.
Khoncha
Khoncha (Azerbaijani: Xonça) is the traditional display of Novruz
in the Republic of Azerbaijan. It consists of a big silver or copper tray, with
a tray of green, sprouting wheat (samani) in the middle and a dyed egg for each
member of the family arranged around it. The table should be with at least
seven dishes.
Amu Nowruz and Haji Firuz
In Iran, the traditional
heralds of the festival of Nowruz are Amu Nowruz and Haji
Firuz, who appear in the streets to celebrate the New Year.
Amu Nowruz brings children
gifts, much like his counterpart Santa Claus. 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. He is depicted as an
elderly silver-haired man with a long beard carrying a walking stick, wearing a
felt hat, a long cloak of blue canvas, a sash, giveh, and linen trousers.
Haji Firuz, a character with his face and hands covered in soot, clad in
bright red clothes and a felt hat, is the companion of Amu Nowruz. He dances
through the streets while singing and playing the tambourine. In the
traditional songs, he introduces himself as a serf trying to cheer people whom
he refers to as his lords.
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 and Daykundi.
Nauryz kozhe
In Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan,
Kazakhs and Kyrgyzs start the new year by cooking nauryz kozhe or nooruz koze,
a traditional drink.
Locality
The festival of Nowruz is celebrated by many groups of people in
the Black Sea basin,
the Balkans, the Caucasus, Western Asia, central and southern Asia,
and by Iranian peoples worldwide.
Places where Nowruz is a public holiday include:
|
Sr No |
Country
Name |
|
1 |
Afghanistan[78] |
|
2 |
Albania |
|
3 |
Azerbaijan
(five days) |
|
4 |
Georgia[81] |
|
5 |
Iran (thirteen
days)[82] |
|
6 |
Iraqi Kurdistan[83] |
|
7 |
Kazakhstan (four
days)[10] |
|
8 |
Kosovo[citation
needed] |
|
9 |
Kyrgyzstan |
|
10 |
Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia |
|
11 |
Tajikistan
(four days) |
|
12 |
Turkmenistan (two
days)[88] |
|
13 |
Uzbekistan |
Nowruz is celebrated by Kurds in Iraq and Turkey, as well as by the Iranis, Shias and Parsis in
the Indian subcontinent and
diaspora.
Nowruz is also celebrated by
Iranian communities in the Americas and in Europe, including Los Angeles, Phoenix, Toronto, Cologne and London. In Phoenix, Arizona, Nowruz is celebrated at the
Persian New Year Festival. But because Los Angeles is prone to devastating
fires, there are very strict fire codes in the city. Usually, Iranians living
in Southern California go to the beaches to celebrate the event where it is
permissible to build fires. On March 15, 2010, the United
States House of Representatives passed
the Nowruz Resolution (H.Res. 267), by a 384–2
vote, "Recognizing the cultural and historical significance of Nowruz,”
Afghanistan
Nowruz marks Afghanistan's New
Year's Day with the Solar
Hijri Calendar as their official calendar. In
Afghanistan, the festival of Gul-i-Surkh (Dari: گل سرخ,
English: red flower) is the principal festival for Nauruz. It is
celebrated in Mazar-i-Sharif during the first 40 days of the year,
when red tulips 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. Buzkashi tournaments are held during the
Gul-i-Surkh festival in Mazar-i-Sharif, Kabul and other northern Afghan cities.
Jahenda Bala (Dari: جهنده بالا English: raising) is celebrated on
the first day of the New Year. It is a religious ceremony performed at
the Blue Mosque of Mazar-i-Sharif
by raising a special banner resembling the Derafsh Kaviani royal
standard. It is attended by high-ranking government officials such as the
Vice-President, Ministers, and Provincial Governors and is the biggest recorded
Nawroz gathering, with up to 200,000 people from all over Afghanistan
attending.
In the festival of Dehqān (Dari: دهقان English: farmer), also celebrated on
the first day of the New Year, farmers walk in the cities as a sign of encouragement
for the agricultural production. In recent years, this activity only happens in
Kabul and other major cities where the mayor and other government officials
attend.
During the first two weeks of
the New Year, the citizens of Kabul hold
family picnics in Istalif, Charikar and other green places
where redbuds grow.
During the Taliban regime of
1996–2001, Nauruz was banned as "an ancient
pagan holiday centered on fire worship".
Albania
Nevruz is celebrated annually
in Albania on 22 March as Sultan Nevruz. In Albania, the festival commemorates
the birthday of Ali
ibn Abi Talib (died 661 CE) and simultaneously
the advent of spring. It is prominent amongst the nations' Bektashis, but
adherents of Sunnism, Catholicism, and Orthodoxy also "share in the nevruz
festival to respect the ecumenical spirit of Albania".
Armenia
Since the 19th century, Nowruz
has not generally been 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. The influx of tourists from Iran
accelerated since around 2010–11. In 2010 alone, around 27,600 Iranians
spent Nowruz in capital Yerevan.
In 2015, President Serzh
Sargsyan sent a letter of congratulations to Kurds living in
Armenia and to the Iranian political
leadership on the occasion of Nowruz.
Azerbaijan
In Azerbaijan, Novruz
celebrations go on for several days and included festive public dancingfolk
music, and sporting competitions. In rural areas, crop holidays are also
marked.
Communities of the Azeri
diaspora also celebrate Nowruz in the US, Canada, and
Israel.
Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, Shia Muslims in Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi and Khulna continue to celebrate it regularly. However,
tradition goes back to historical East Bengal's link to the Mughal
Empire; the empire celebrated the festival for 19
days with pomp and gaiety. Shia Muslims in Bangladesh have been seen
spraying water around their home and drinking that water to keep themselves
protected from diseases. A congregation to seek divine blessing is also
arranged. Members of the Nawab family of Dhaka used to celebrate it
amid pomp and grounder. In the evening, they used to float thousands of candle
lights in nearby ponds and water bodies. Bengali poet Kazi Nazrul Islam portrayed a vivid sketch of
the festival highlighting its various aspects. In his poem, he described it as
a platform of exposing a youth's physical and mental beauty to another opposite
one for conquering his or her heart.
Central Asia
Nowruz widely celebrated on a
vast territory of Central Asia and ritual practice acquired its special
features. The festival was legitimized by prayers at mosques, and visits
to the mazars of Muslim saints and to sacred streams. In the Emirate of
Bukhara, a broad official celebration of Nowruz was started by Amir Muzaffar,
who sought to strengthen the image of the Manghyt dynasty during the crisis of
political legitimacy.
China
Traditionally, Nowruz is
celebrated mainly in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region by the Uyghurs, Chinese Tajik, Salar, and Kazakh ethnicities.
Georgia
Nowruz is not celebrated
by Georgians, but it is widely celebrated by the country's
large Azerbaijani minority (~7% of
the total population) as well as by Iranians living in Georgia. Every year, large
festivities are held in the capital Tbilisi,
as well as in areas with a significant number of Azerbaijanis, such as
the Kvemo Kartli, Kakheti, Shida Kartli, and Mtskheta-Mtianeti regions. 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.
India
The Parsi community of
India observe the New Year using the Shahenshahi calendar which does
not account for leap years, meaning this holiday has now moved by 200 days from
its original day of the vernal equinox. In India the Parsi New Year is
celebrated around August 16–17.
Tradition of Nowruz in Northern India dates back to the Mughal Empire; the festival was celebrated for 19 days with pomp and
gaiety in the realm. However, it further goes back to the Parsi Zoroastrian community in Western India, who migrated to the Indian subcontinent from Persia during
the Muslim conquest of Persia of
636–651 CE. In the Princely State of Hyderabad, Nowruz (Nauroz) was one of the four holidays where
the Nizam would hold a public Darbar, along with the two
official Islamic holidays and the sovereign's birthday. Prior
to Asaf Jahi rule in Hyderabad, the Qutb Shahi dynasty
celebrated Nowruz with a ritual called Panjeri, and the festival was celebrated
by all with great grandeur. Kazi Nazrul Islam, during the Bengal
renaissance, portrayed the festival with vivid
sketch and poems, highlighting its various aspects.
Iran
Nowruz is two-week celebration
that marks the beginning of the New Year in Iran's official Solar Hijri calendar. The celebration includes four public holidays from
the first to the fourth day of Farvardin, the first month of the Iranian
calendar, usually beginning on March 21. On the Eve of Nowruz, the fire
festival Chaharshanbe Suri is celebrated.
Following the 1979 Revolution, some radical elements from the Islamic government
attempted to suppress Nowruz, considering it a pagan holiday and a
distraction from Islamic holidays.
Nowruz has been politicized, with political leaders making annual Nowruz
speeches.
Kurds
Newroz is largely considered as
a potent symbol of Kurdish identity in Turkey, even if
there are some Turks (including
Turkmens) celebrating the festival. The Kurds of Turkey celebrate this feast
between 18th till March 21. 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. Newroz has seen many bans in Turkey and can only be celebrated legally
since 1992 after the ban on the Kurdish language was lifted. But also
afterwards Newroz celebrations could be banned and lead to confrontations with
the Turkish authority. In Cizre, Nusyabin and Şırnak celebrations
turned violent as Turkish police forces fired in the celebrating
crowds. Newroz celebrations are usually organized 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. "Thousands of people have been detained in Turkey, as the
authorities take action against suspected supporters of the Kurdish rebel
movement, the PKK. 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. In the
recent years, limitations on expressions of Kurdish national identity,
including the usage of Kurdish in the public
sphere, have been considerably relaxed.
On March 21, 2013, PKK
leader Abdullah
Öcalan called for a ceasefire through a
message that was released in Diyarbakır during the Newroz
celebrations.
In Syria, the Kurds dress up in
their national dress and celebrate the New Year. 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. The Syrian Arab Ba'athist government stated in 2004
that the Newroz celebrations will be tolerated as long as they do not become
political demonstrations. During the Newroz celebrations in 2008, three
Kurds were
shot dead by Syrian security forces. In
March 2010, an attack by Syrian police left 2 or 3 people killed, one of them a
15-year-old girl, and more than 50 people wounded. The Rojava
revolution of 2012 and the subsequent establishment of the de facto Autonomous
Administration of North and East Syria saw
Kurdish civil rights greatly expand, and Newroz is now celebrated freely in
most Kurdish areas of Syria except for Efrin, where the ritual is no
longer allowed since the 2018 occupation by Turkish-backed
rebel groups.
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. Also in London,
organizers estimated that 25,000 people celebrated Newroz during March 2006.
Pakistan
In Pakistan, Nowruz is
typically celebrated in parts of Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa, especially near the border with
Afghanistan, and across Balochistan,
with a large celebration held in the capital of Quetta. Recently, the government of Iran has become
involved in hosting celebrations in Islamabad to commemorate the
holiday. Like in India, the Parsi and Ismaili communities
have historically celebrated the holiday, as have some Shi'a Muslims.
Theology
Followers of the Zoroastrian
faith include Nowruz in their religious calendar, as do followers of other
faiths. Shia literature refers to the merits of the day of Nowruz;
the Day
of Ghadir took place on Nowruz; and the fatwas
of major Shia scholars recommend fasting. Nowruz is also a holy day
for Sufis, Bektashis, Ismailis, Alawites, Alevis, Babis and
adherents of the Baháʼí Faith.
Baháʼí Faith
Naw-Rúz is one of nine holy
days for adherents of the Baháʼí Faith worldwide. It is the first day
of the Baháʼí calendar, occurring on the vernal equinox around March
21. The Baháʼí calendar is composed of 19 months, each of 19
days, 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. The first day and the first month were given the attribute of Bahá,
an Arabic word meaning splendour or glory, and thus the first
day of the year was the day of Bahá in the month of Bahá. Baháʼu'lláh, the
founder of the Baháʼí Faith, explained that Naw-Rúz was associated with
the Most Great Name of God, and was instituted as a
festival for those who observed the Nineteen-Day Fast.
The day is also used to
symbolize the renewal of time in each religious dispensation. ʻAbdu'l-Bahá,
Bahá'u'lláh's son and successor, explained that significance of Naw-Rúz in
terms of spring and the new life it brings. He explained that
the equinox is a symbol of the messengers of God and the message that they proclaim is like a
spiritual springtime, and that Naw-Rúz is used to commemorate it.
As with all Baháʼí holy days,
there are few fixed rules for observing Naw-Rúz, and Baháʼís all over the world
celebrate it as a festive day, according to local custom. Persian Baháʼís
still observe many of the Iranian customs associated with Nowruz such as the
Haft-sin, but American Baháʼí communities, for example, may have a potluck dinner, along with prayers and readings from Baháʼí
scripture.
Twelver and Ismaili Shia
Along with
Ismailis, Alawites and Alevis, the Twelver Shia also hold the
day of Nowruz in high regard.
It has been said that Musa al-Kadhim, the seventh Twelver 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 blew and the flowers on the earth appeared. The
archangel Gabriel appeared to
the Prophet, and it is the day
that Abraham broke the idols. The day Prophet Muhammad held Ali on his shoulders to destroy the Quraishie's idols
in the house of God, the Kaaba."
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 and Ali
al-Sistani. The day also assumes special
significance for Shias as it has been said that it was on March 16, 632 AD
that the first Shia Imam, Ali, assumed the office of caliphate. Shia Imami
Ismaili Muslims around the globe celebrate Nowruz as a religious festival.
Special prayers and Majalis are arranged in Jamatkhanas. Special foods are
cooked and people share best wishes and prayers with each other.
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