Nowruz

The first day of the Iranian calendar falls on the March equinox, the first day of spring, around 21 March. In the 11th century AD the Iranian calendar was reformed by Omar Khayyam 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 astronomer Tusi was the following: "the first day of the official New Year [Nowruz] was always the day on which the sun entered Aries before noon."R. Abdollahy, [http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/calendars#pt2 Calendars ii. Islamic period] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517021434/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/calendars#pt2 |date=17 May 2017 }}, in Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. 4, London & New York, 1990. Nowruz is the first day of Farvardin, the first month of the Iranian solar calendar, which is the official calendar in use in Iran, and formerly in Afghanistan.

The United Nations officially recognized the "International Day of Nowruz" with the adoption of Resolution 64/253 by the United Nations General Assembly in February 2010.{{cite web|date=23 February 2010|title=64/253: International Day of Nowruz|url=https://undocs.org/pdf?symbol=en%2FA%2Fres%2F64%2F253|website=undocs.org|access-date=28 February 2022|archive-date=5 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220305212610/https://undocs.org/pdf?symbol=en%2FA%2FRES%2F64%2F253|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A%2F64%2FL.30%2FRev.2|title=International Day of Nowruz|website=United Nations|date=18 February 2010|access-date=26 February 2020|archive-date=28 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200628055339/https://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A%2F64%2FL.30%2FRev.2|url-status=live}}

The word {{Transliteration|fa|Nowruz}} is a combination of the Persian words {{lang|fa|نو}} ({{lang|fa-Latn|now}}, meaning 'new') and {{lang|fa|روز}} ({{lang|fa-Latn|ruz}}, 'day'). Historically, the word was vocalized in Classical Persian as {{Transliteration|fa|Nawrōz}}, and in Middle Persian as {{Transliteration|pal|Nōgrōz}}.{{cite book|language=de|title=Studien zur Pahlavi-Übersetzung des Avesta|page=204|first=Alberto|last=Cantera|year=2004|publisher=Otto Harrassowitz Verlag |isbn=978-3-447-05123-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EaSQUY7GBSIC}} The modern pronunciation varies among Persian dialects, with Dari and Tajiki (the eastern dialects) using the pronunciations {{IPA|prs|nawˈɾoːz|}} and {{IPA|tg|næʋˈɾɵz|}} respectively, and Iranian Persian (the western dialect) using {{IPA|[nowˈɾuːz]}} (in particular in the Tehrani accent: {{IPA|[noːˈɾuːz]}}). A variety of spellings for the word Nowruz exist in English-language usage, including Norooz, Novruz, Nowruz, Navruz, Nauruz and Newroz.Random House dictionary (unabridged), 2006 (according to [http://dictionary.reference.com/ Dictionary.reference.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305211008/http://dictionary.reference.com/ |date=5 March 2016 }}).Elien, Shadi, "[https://www.straight.com/article-298794/vancouver/persian-new-year-spelled-norouz-nowruz-or-nauruz Is the Persian New Year spelled Norouz, Nowruz, or Nauruz?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180314104835/https://www.straight.com/article-298794/vancouver/persian-new-year-spelled-norouz-nowruz-or-nauruz |date=14 March 2018 }}", The Georgia Straight, 17 March 2010.

{{Main|March equinox}}

File:Earth-lighting-equinox EN.png by the Sun on the day of the equinox.]]

Nowruz's timing is based on the vernal equinox. In Iran, it is the day of the new year in the 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.{{cite web|url=http://aramis.obspm.fr/~heydari/divers/ir-cal-eng.html|title=Iranian Calendar|website=aramis.obspm.fr|access-date=24 March 2019|archive-date=16 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716115426/http://aramis.obspm.fr/~heydari/divers/ir-cal-eng.html|url-status=live}}

Each 2820-year great grand cycle contains 2,137 normal years of 365 days and 683 leap years of 366 days, with the average year length over the great grand cycle 365.24219852. This average is just 0.00000026 (2.6×10⁻⁷) of a day{{Emdash}}slightly more than 1/50 of a second{{Emdash}}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.

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{{Main|Chaharshanbe Suri{{!}}Charshanbe Suri}}

File:نوروزNowRouzIran2021.jpg, Iran, 2021]]Chaharshanbe Suri ({{langx|fa|چهارشنبه‌سوری|čahâr-šanbeh suri}} ({{Lit|Festive Wednesday}}) is a prelude to the New Year.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}} 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.{{cite news|url=http://financialtribune.com/articles/people/61234/call-for-safe-yearend-celebration|title=Call for Safe Yearend Celebration|date=12 March 2017|newspaper=Financial Tribune|quote=The ancient tradition has transformed over time from a simple bonfire to the use of firecrackers...|access-date=5 August 2018|archive-date=6 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180806054618/https://financialtribune.com/articles/people/61234/call-for-safe-yearend-celebration|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/north-korea-fires-ballistic-missile-toward-east-sea-official-says-n779401|title=Light It Up! Iranians Celebrate Festival of Fire|date=19 March 2014|publisher=NBC News|access-date=5 August 2018|archive-date=4 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170704014053/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/north-korea-fires-ballistic-missile-toward-east-sea-official-says-n779401|url-status=live}}

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{{Emdash}}water, fire, earth and wind.{{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=Azerbaijani Embassy to Kuwait|date=17 March 2010|access-date=6 April 2010|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513014137/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|archive-date=13 May 2011}} On the holiday eve, the graves of relatives are visited and tended.{{cite web |title=Nowruz most cheerful, popular holiday in Azerbaijan |url=https://en.mehrnews.com/news/184694/Nowruz-most-cheerful-popular-holiday-in-Azerbaijan |website=Mehr News Agency |access-date=June 11, 2024 |date=March 23, 2022}}{{cite web |title=Novruz |url=https://unesco.az/index.php/en/articles/intangible_cultural_heritage/novruz-bayrami |website=UNESCO |access-date=June 11, 2024 |archive-date=11 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240611053357/https://unesco.az/index.php/en/articles/intangible_cultural_heritage/novruz-bayrami |url-status=live }}

Iranians sing the poetic line "my yellow is yours, your red is mine", which means "my weakness to you and your strength to me" ({{langx|fa|سرخی تو از من، زردی من از تو|sorkhi-ye to az man, zardi-ye man az to}}) to the fire during the festival, asking the fire to take away ill-health and problems and replace them with warmth, health, and energy. Trail mix and berries are also served during the celebration.

Spoon banging ({{lang|fa|قاشق زنی}}, {{lang|fa-Latn|qāšoq zani}}) is a tradition observed on the eve of Charshanbe Suri, similar to the Halloween custom of trick-or-treating. In Iran, people wear disguises and go door-to-door banging spoons against plates or bowls and receive packaged snacks. In Azerbaijan, children slip around to their neighbors' homes and apartments on the last Tuesday prior to Novruz, knock at the doors, and leave their caps or little basket on the thresholds, hiding nearby to wait for candies, pastries and nuts.

The ritual of jumping over fire has continued in Armenia in the feast of Trndez, which is a feast of purification in the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Armenian Catholic Church, celebrated forty days after Jesus's birth.Marshall, Bonnie C.: Tashjian, Virginia A, The Flower of Paradise and Other Armenian Tales Libraries Unlimited 2007 p. xxii

{{Main|Sizdah Be-dar{{!}}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 Sizdah Bedar ceremony. The greenery grown for the Haft-sin setting is thrown away, usually into running water. It is also customary for young single people, especially young girls, to tie the leaves of the greenery before discarding it, expressing a wish to find a partner. Another custom associated with Sizdah Bedar is the playing of jokes and pranks, similar to April Fools' Day.{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/12195948/April-Fools-Day-why-do-we-play-pranks-on-this-day.html|title="April Fools' Day 2016: how did the tradition originate and what are the best pranks?". Emily Allen and Juliet Eysenck. Telegraph. 17 March 2016.|date=21 March 2016|access-date=4 April 2018|archive-date=21 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160321131245/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/12195948/April-Fools-Day-why-do-we-play-pranks-on-this-day.html|url-status=live}}

{{see also|Zoroastrian festivals|Persian astronomy}}

File:Nowruz Zoroastrian.jpg for Nowruz: eternal combat between the bull, representing the Moon, and the lion, representing the Sun and spring.]]

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.{{cite web|url=http://poj.peeters-leuven.be/content.php?url=issue&journal_code=PERS&issue=0&vol=18|title=Moazami, M. "The Legend of the Flood in Zoroastrian Tradition." Persica 18: 55–74, (2002) Document Details|access-date=22 March 2008|archive-date=10 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910001112/http://poj.peeters-leuven.be/content.php?url=issue&journal_code=PERS&issue=0&vol=18|url-status=dead}} 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.{{cite book|title=Shahnameh:a new translation by Dick Davis, Viking Adult, 2006. p. 7|isbn=978-0-670-03485-7|author1=Firdawsī|year=2006|publisher=Penguin|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/shahnamehpersian0000fird}}

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."A History of Zoroastrianism: Under the Achaemenians

By Mary Boyce, Frantz Grenet. Brill, 1982

{{ISBN|90-04-06506-7|978-90-04-06506-2}}, pp. 3–4

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,{{Cite web|url=https://iranicaonline.org/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111074500/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/festivals-i|url-status=dead|title=Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica|first=Encyclopaedia Iranica|last=Foundation|archivedate=11 January 2012|website=iranicaonline.org}} "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.Boyce, M. [http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/festivals-i "Festivals. i. Zoroastrian"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111074500/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/festivals-i |date=11 January 2012 }}. Encyclopaedia Iranica. 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."برگرفته از: "گنجينه‌ي سخن"، تأليف دكتر ذبيح الله صفا، انتشارات اميركبير، 1370، جلد يكم، ص 292 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.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] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161117070333/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/gardizi |date=17 November 2016 }}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 p. 520:

{{lang|fa|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.|rtl=yes}}

File:Persepolis stairs of the Apadana relief.jpg in Persepolis, depicting Armenians bringing their famous wine to the Shah.]]

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.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. Nowruz was an important day during the Achaemenid Empire ({{nowrap|c. 550–330 BC}}). 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.{{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&q=new+y&pg=PA108|isbn=978-1-84127-197-2|access-date=5 October 2020|archive-date=12 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312135810/https://books.google.com/books?id=Zxl053mwwmMC&q=new+y&pg=PA108|url-status=live}}

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 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 an adoption of Iranian New Year.{{cite web|last=The Judaic tradition " Jewish myth and legend " Sources and development " Myth and legend in the Persian period|title=Encyclopædia Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/307197/Judaism/35340/Sources-and-development#ref=ref299743|access-date=March 21, 2009|archive-date=7 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141207205354/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/307197/Judaism/35340/Sources-and-development#ref=ref299743|url-status=live}} A specific novella is not identified and Encyclopedia 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 set according to the Jewish calendar, which is lunisolar), 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.{{cite encyclopedia |editor-last=Hastings|editor-first=James|editor-first2=John Alexander|editor-last2=Selbie|editor-first3=Louis Herbert|editor-last3=Gray|volume=10|page=506|title=Purim|encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pf4hAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA506|year=1919 |access-date=20 June 2015|archive-date=12 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312135810/https://books.google.com/books?id=pf4hAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA506|url-status=live}} 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.

In his Shahnameh, the tenth-century poet Ferdowsi narrates a fictional account of Darius III's death, where an injured Darius, with his head cradled on Alexander the Great’s thigh, asks Alexander to wed Roxana, so their children might uphold Nowruz and keep the flame of Zoroaster burning:

{{Blockquote|Her mother named her Roxana the fair; The world found joy and solace in her care. ... From her, perhaps, a glorious one shall rise; Who shall renew the name of bold Esfandiyār, wise. This sacred flame of Zoroaster, he shall adorn; The Zend and Avesta scriptures, in his hands be borne. The feast of Sadeh, this auspicious rite he'll keep; The splendor of Nowruz and fire temples deep.کجا مادرش روشنک نام کرد؛ جهان را بدو شاد و پدرام کرد؛ مگر زو ببینی یکی نامدار؛ کجا نو کند نام اسفندیار؛ بیاراید این آتش زردهشت

بگیرد همان زند و اوستا بمشت؛ نگه دارد این فال جشن سده؛ همان فر نوروز و آتشکده|author=Ferdowsi

}}

Nowruz was the holiday of Parthian dynastic empires who ruled Iran (248 BC–224 AD) 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 AD), but these include no details.{{cite web|last=Rezakhani|first=Khodadad|title=Nowruz in History|url=http://www.iranologie.com/history/nowruz-hist.html|access-date=21 March 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040411145417/http://www.iranologie.com/history/nowruz-hist.html|archive-date=11 April 2004}} Before Sassanians established their power in Western Asia in 224 – 226 AD, 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.John R. Hinnells, "Mithraic studies: proceedings", Edition: illustrated, Published by Manchester University Press ND, 1975, {{ISBN|0-7190-0536-1|978-0-7190-0536-7}}, p. 307

Extensive records on the celebration of Nowruz appear following the accession of Ardashir I, the founder of the Sasanian Empire (224–651 AD). 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.

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.[http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/dehqan DEHQĀN] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117040915/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/dehqan |date=17 November 2017 }} iranicaonline.org

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/nowruz-ii|title=A. Shapur Shahbazi, "Nowruz: In the Islamic period"|publisher=Iranicaonline.org|access-date=27 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322221511/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/nowruz-ii|archive-date=22 March 2019|url-status=dead}} 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 CE during the Seljuq dynasty era, a group of eight scholars led by astronomer and polymath Omar Khayyam calculated and established the Jalali calendar, computing the year starting from Nowruz.

The festival along with Mehregan was widely celebrated in Al-Andalus, as the Andalusians from the 9th century onwards strongly identified with many Iranian traditions despite the opposition from the Maliki jurists. Also, from the 10th century onwards the nobility, emirs and governors sponsored the celebrations and festivals. However, the jurists beginning from the 12th century started encouraging the Andalusians to celebrate Mawlid instead.{{Cite book |last=Shafa |first=Shojaeddin |title=DE PERSIA A LA ESPAÑA MUSULMANA: LA HISTORIA RECUPERADA |year=2001 |language=es}}

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.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]{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170303144754/http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?RL=00282 |date=3 March 2017 }}.Noruz and Iranian radifs registered on UNESCO list, Tehran Times, 1 October 2009, [http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=204443 TehranTimes.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514132849/http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=204443 |date=14 May 2011 }}.[https://www.un.org/en/events/nowruzday/ International Nowruz Day 21 March] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170704114548/http://www.un.org/en/events/nowruzday/ |date=4 July 2017 }} un.orgNowruz 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] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091003012016/http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/arts/2009/09/090930_mg_nowrooz_global_register.shtml |date=3 October 2009 }}

In Iranian economic crisis in 2025 many people were unable to afford basic Haft-Sin.{{cite web | url=https://vista.ir/n/khabarfoori-5b6t3 | title=تورم و فقر اقتصادی ، سنت های دیرینه ما را هم به فراموشی می سپارند }} In the same year, the Iranian regime arrested 50 people for an anti-government chant at Nowruz celebrations.{{cite web | url=https://www.radiofarda.com/a/iran-dozens-arrested-at-new-year-ceremonies-nowrooz/33356551.html | title=بازداشت شماری از شهروندان در چند استان همزمان با آیین‌های نوروزی | work=رادیو فردا | date=23 March 2025 | last1=فردا | first1=رادیو }}

File:Festive decoration 5.jpg, Tajikistan, 2018]]

House cleaning, or shaking the house ({{langx|fa|خانه تکانی|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.{{cite web|title=صفای ظاهر و باطن در رسم دیرین خانه تكانی|url=https://www.irna.ir/news/81058082/%D8%B5%D9%81%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%B8%D8%A7%D9%87%D8%B1-%D9%88-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B7%D9%86-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%B1%D8%B3%D9%85-%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%86-%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%87-%D8%AA%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C|website=irna|date=24 February 2014|access-date=19 March 2020|archive-date=4 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200904222753/https://www.irna.ir/news/81058082/%D8%B5%D9%81%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%B8%D8%A7%D9%87%D8%B1-%D9%88-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B7%D9%86-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%B1%D8%B3%D9%85-%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%86-%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%87-%D8%AA%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C|url-status=live}}

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 as a way of dealing with the long distances between groups of friends and family.{{cite web|title=ديد و بازديد نوروزي، آييني نيكو و ديرينه پابرجا|url=https://www.irna.ir/news/80599813|website=IRNA|date=3 April 2013|access-date=19 March 2020|archive-date=12 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312135827/https://www.irna.ir/news/80599813|url-status=live}}

{{See also|New Year's food}}

One of the most common foods cooked on the occasion of Nowruz is Samanu (Samanak, Somank, Somalek, Sumalak). This food is prepared using germinated wheat. In most countries that celebrate Nowruz, this food is cooked. In some countries, cooking this food is associated with certain rituals. Women and girls in different parts of Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan cook Samanu in groups and sometimes during the night, and when cooking it, they sing memorable songs.

Cooking other foods is also common on Nowruz. For example, sabzi polo with fish is eaten on Eid night, as are sweets such as Nan-e Nokhodchi. In general, cooking Nowruz food is common in every region where Nowruz is celebrated, and each area has its food and sweets.

As a fortune telling method people may write a hafez poem on a paper and throw in a boloni along with a belonging of their. A young girl would then read the poems to others and then pull out a belonging.{{cite web | url=https://www.isna.ir/news/1400122419673/%DA%A9%D9%88%D8%B2%D9%87-%D8%B4%DA%A9%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%86-%D9%88-%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%84-%DA%AF%D8%B1%D9%81%D8%AA%D9%86-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%DA%86%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B4%D9%86%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%DB%8C | title=کوزه شکستن و فال گرفتن در چهارشنبه‌سوری | date=15 March 2022 | access-date=21 March 2025 | archive-date=19 December 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221219000801/https://www.isna.ir/news/1400122419673/%DA%A9%D9%88%D8%B2%D9%87-%D8%B4%DA%A9%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%86-%D9%88-%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%84-%DA%AF%D8%B1%D9%81%D8%AA%D9%86-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%DA%86%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B4%D9%86%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%DB%8C | url-status=live }}{{cite web | url=https://ifpnews.com/boloni-a-fortune-telling-ritual-performed-in-nowruz/ | title=Boloni; A Fortune-Telling Ritual Performed in Nowruz - Iran Front Page | date=23 March 2020 | access-date=21 March 2025 | archive-date=21 March 2025 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250321052022/https://ifpnews.com/boloni-a-fortune-telling-ritual-performed-in-nowruz/ | url-status=live }}

{{Main|Haft-sin}}

File:7SEEN 89.jpg during Nowruz in Tehran, Iran, 2010]]

File:Nowrooz-Yousef Abdinejad-50x70cm-oil on canvas.jpg in relation to the four classical elements and the world's three essential forms of life: humans, animals, and plants.]]

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.{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OZbyz_Hr-eIC|title=Navruz|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Islam|first=Juan Eduardo|last=Campo|publisher=Infobase Publishing|year=2009|pages=524–525|isbn=978-1-4381-2696-8|access-date=17 April 2018|archive-date=12 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312135811/https://books.google.com/books?id=OZbyz_Hr-eIC|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=http://www.tehrantimes.com/news/422394/Noruz-manifestation-of-culture-of-peace-friendship-among-societies|work=Tehran Times|title=Noruz, manifestation of culture of peace, friendship among societies|date=7 April 2018|access-date=17 April 2018|archive-date=18 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180418032234/http://www.tehrantimes.com/news/422394/Noruz-manifestation-of-culture-of-peace-friendship-among-societies|url-status=live}} 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 ({{langx|fa|هفت‌سین}}, seven things beginning with the letter sin (س)) are:

• Sabze ({{langx|fa|سبزه}}) – wheat, barley, mung bean, or lentil sprouts grown in a dish.
• Samanu ({{langx|fa|سمنو}}) – sweet pudding made from germinated wheat
• Persian olive ({{langx|fa|سنجد|senjed}})
• Vinegar ({{langx|fa|سرکه|serke}})
• Apple ({{langx|fa|سیب|sib}})
• Garlic ({{langx|fa|سیر|sir}})
• Sumac ({{langx|fa|سماق|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 Shahnameh 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.{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/03/20/471174857/nowruz-persian-new-years-table-celebrates-spring-deliciously|title=Nowruz: Persian New Year's Table Celebrates Spring Deliciously|publisher=NPR|access-date=13 March 2018|language=en|archive-date=13 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313092906/https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/03/20/471174857/nowruz-persian-new-years-table-celebrates-spring-deliciously|url-status=live}}

File:Haft Mewa.jpg, 2020]]

In Afghanistan, people prepare Haft Mēwa ({{langx|prs|هفت میوه}}, {{langx|en|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.{{cite web|title=از هفت سین تا هفت میوه|url=http://www.jadidonline.com/story/19032007/fq/haft_seen|access-date=19 March 2020|archive-date=23 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123233328/https://www.jadidonline.com/story/19032007/fq/haft_seen|url-status=live}}

File:Xonça DSC 0116.JPG, 2011]]

Khoncha ({{langx|az|Xonça}}; {{Langx|az-Arab|خونچا|label=none}}) is the traditional display of Nowruz in 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 contain at least seven dishes.

{{Main|Amu Nowruz|Hajji Firuz}}

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In Iran, the traditional heralds of the festival of Nowruz are Amu Nowruz ({{Langx|fa|عمو نوروز}}) and Haji Firuz ({{Langx|fa|حاجی فیروز}}), who appear in the streets to celebrate the New Year.

Amu Nowruz brings children gifts, much like his counterpart Santa Claus.{{cite news|title=Haji Firooz & Amoo Nowruz – The Persian Troubadour & Santa Claus|url=http://www.persianmirror.com/celebrations/noruz/noruz.cfm#haji|work=Persian Mirror|date=15 November 2004|access-date=3 March 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100225115813/http://www.persianmirror.com/celebrations/noruz/noruz.cfm#haji|archive-date=25 February 2010}} 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.[https://books.google.com/books?id=yg09JDpWdWkC&dq=Amu+Nowruz&pg=PA151 Thus Speaks Mother Simorq] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230430171138/https://books.google.com/books?id=yg09JDpWdWkC&dq=Amu%20Nowruz&pg=PA151 |date=30 April 2023 }}, p. 151Iranica: [http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/pir-e-zan Pir-e Zan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407041421/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/pir-e-zan |date=7 April 2016 }} 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.[http://web.shirazu.ac.ir/en/files/extract_file.php?file_id=1394 Amu Nowruz] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304053351/http://web.shirazu.ac.ir/en/files/extract_file.php?file_id=1394 |date=4 March 2016 }}, Fazlollah Mohtadi, Shiraz University Centre for Children's Literature Studies

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.Faces around the World: A Cultural Encyclopedia of the Human Face By Margo DeMello – Black Face, p. 28

File:Kosa, Kechel and Bahar Gizi.jpg]]

Kosa and Kechal ({{Langx|az|Kosa və Keçəl}}; {{Langx|az-Arab|كوسا و كئچل|label=none}}) are two comical characters from Azerbaijan who appear in the streets to celebrate Nowruz. Kosa is typically depicted as a "plump skinny man with a fake beard" who can't grow facial hair and symbolizes the winter, while Kechal is a "bald myschievious fat man" who symbolizes the summer, with his name literally translating to bald-head from Azerbaijani. When Nowruz arrives, they play Kos-kosa (a traditional Azerbaijani Nowruz game) with the kids, paint eggs, sing songs and often fight with each other, symbolizing the arrival of spring.{{Cite web |date=2011-01-27 |title=Holidays in Azerbaijan |url=http://azeriamerica.com/Events_files/AzeriHolidays.htm |access-date=2025-02-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110127201010/http://azeriamerica.com/Events_files/AzeriHolidays.htm |archive-date=27 January 2011 }}{{Cite web |date=2013-03-20 |title=Azerbaijan celebrates festive Novruz Holiday |url=https://www.azernews.az/nation/51095.html |access-date=2025-02-18 |website=Azernews.Az |language=en |archive-date=2 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171002183806/https://www.azernews.az/nation/51095.html |url-status=live }}https://yeniterter.com/?p=17743 Kosa and Kechal have become one of the, if not the most, famous characters in Azerbaijani Nowruz traditions, gaining large amounts of attention and taking part in mainstream talkshows and movies.

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.{{cite web|last=Arvin|first=Ayub|title=نوروز و چالش‌های سیاسی و مذهبی در افغانستان|date=21 March 2010|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/afghanistan/2010/03/100321_k02-afg-norouz-challenges.shtml|access-date=23 March 2010|publisher=BBC Persian|location=London|archive-date=26 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100326134110/http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/afghanistan/2010/03/100321_k02-afg-norouz-challenges.shtml|url-status=live}}

In Kazakhstan, Kazakhs start the new year by cooking nauryz kozhe, a traditional drink.{{cite web|url=https://e-history.kz/en/news/show/7172/|title="Nauryz Kozhe" is a spring dish|date=22 March 2019|access-date=18 March 2021|archive-date=12 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412185709/https://e-history.kz/en/news/show/7172/|url-status=live}}

The festival of Nowruz is celebrated by many groups of people in the Black Sea basin, the Balkans, the South Caucasus, Western Asia, central and southern Asia, and by Iranian peoples worldwide.{{cite book |chapter=Spring's Equinox: Nowruz in Ismaili Thought |first=Shafique N. |last=Virani |title=Intellectual Interactions in the Islamic World The Ismaili Thread |editor-first=Orkhan |editor-last=Mir-Kasimov |publisher=I.B. Tauris |year=2020 |page=480 }}

File:Celebration of Nowruz shared by several countries, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Turkey..jpg in Paris, France, 2011]]

Places where Nowruz is a public holiday include:

{{div col|colwidth=15em}}

• Afghanistan{{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=7 March 2011|access-date=3 December 2012|archive-date=26 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926081241/http://www.centcom.mil/news/key-afghan-us-leadership-plant-trees-for-farmer-s-day|url-status=live}}
• Albania
• Azerbaijan (five days){{cite web|url=http://english.irib.ir/radioculture/occasions/national-occasions/item/80534-tajikistan-holds-3rd-international-nowruz-celebrations|title=BBCPersian.com|publisher=BBC|access-date=6 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130201063046/http://english.irib.ir/radioculture/occasions/national-occasions/item/80534-tajikistan-holds-3rd-international-nowruz-celebrations|archive-date=1 February 2013|url-status=dead}}{{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|archive-date=13 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513080743/http://www.bank-holidays.com/holidays.php?annee=2010&id_pays=16|url-status=live}}
• Georgia{{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|archive-date=18 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120918012356/http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=22108|url-status=dead}}
• Iran (thirteen days){{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|archive-date=13 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513080650/http://www.bank-holidays.com/holidays.php?annee=2010&id_pays=85|url-status=live}}
• Iraqi Kurdistan, Iraq{{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|archive-date=13 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513080627/http://www.bank-holidays.com/holidays.php?annee=2010&id_pays=84|url-status=live}}
• Kazakhstan (four days){{cite web|url=http://www.fravahr.org/spip.php?breve167|title=Celebrating Nowruz in Central Asia|publisher=fravahr.org|access-date=23 March 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070523201945/http://www.fravahr.org/spip.php?breve167|archive-date=23 May 2007}}
• Kosovo{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
• Kyrgyzstan{{cite web|url=http://www.payvand.com/news/06/mar/1225.html|title=Nowruz in Kyrgyzstan|publisher=Payvand.com|date=26 March 2006|access-date=6 April 2010|archive-date=5 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105095653/http://www.payvand.com/news/06/mar/1225.html|url-status=live}}{{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|archive-date=13 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513080646/http://www.bank-holidays.com/holidays.php?annee=2010&id_pays=94|url-status=live}}
• Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia
• Tajikistan (four days){{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|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304203112/http://bank-holidays.com/holidays.php?annee=2010&id_pays=171|url-status=live}}{{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|date=20 March 2006|access-date=6 April 2010|archive-date=24 June 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080624075045/http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/03/86AFE190-45DF-4C9D-AF81-3A3158C6D595.html|url-status=live}}
• Turkmenistan (two days){{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|archive-date=13 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513080728/http://www.bank-holidays.com/holidays.php?annee=2010&id_pays=179|url-status=live}}
• Uzbekistan{{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|archive-date=13 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513080702/http://www.bank-holidays.com/holidays.php?annee=2010&id_pays=129|url-status=live}}

{{col div end}}

Nowruz is celebrated by Kurds in Iraq{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/4829542.stm|title=In pictures: Norouz – New Year festival|work=BBC News|date=21 March 2006|access-date=6 April 2010|archive-date=29 January 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070129075223/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/4829542.stm|url-status=live}} Syria, and Turkey,{{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|newspaper=Daily Star|date=22 March 2006|access-date=6 April 2010|archive-date=21 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090821100737/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=23126|url-status=live}} as well as by the Iranis, Shias and Parsis in the Indian subcontinent and Iranian diaspora.

Nowruz is also celebrated by Iranian communities in the Americas and in Europe, including Los Angeles, Phoenix, Toronto, Cologne and London.{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/arts/story/2006/03/060317_l-7th-norouz-london.shtml|title=BBCPersian.com|publisher=BBC|access-date=6 April 2010|archive-date=7 September 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090907004137/http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/arts/story/2006/03/060317_l-7th-norouz-london.shtml|url-status=live}} In Phoenix, Arizona, Nowruz is celebrated at the Persian New Year Festival.{{cite web|url=https://www.arizonafoothillsmagazine.com/events/details/18191-second-annual-persian-new-year-festival.html|title=Event – Second Annual Persian New Year Festival|website=AZFoothills.com|language=en-US|access-date=28 January 2020|archive-date=28 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128200258/https://www.arizonafoothillsmagazine.com/events/details/18191-second-annual-persian-new-year-festival.html|url-status=live}} 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.{{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|archive-date=15 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100515190948/http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/22_folder/22_articles/22_noruz.html|url-status=live}} On 15 March 2010, the United States House of Representatives passed the Nowruz Resolution (H.Res. 267), by a 384–2 vote,[http://www.niacouncil.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1683&Itemid=2 House Passes Historic Nowruz (sic) Resolution] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100322205812/http://www.niacouncil.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1683&Itemid=2 |date=22 March 2010 }}, National Iranian American Council, 15 March 2010. "Recognizing the cultural and historical significance of Nowruz".{{Cite web|url=https://www.gop.gov/bill/111/1/hres267|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140320095824/http://www.gop.gov/bill/111/1/hres267|url-status=dead|title=Legislative Digest, GOP.gov, H.Res. 267.|archivedate=20 March 2014}}

{{Main|Nowruz in 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 ({{langx|prs|گل سرخ}}, '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. {{lang|prs-Latn|Buzkashi}} tournaments are held during the Gul-i-Surkh festival in Mazar-i-Sharif, Kabul and other northern Afghan cities.

{{lang|prs-Latn|Jahenda Bala}} ({{langx|prs|جهنده بالا}}, 'raising') is celebrated on the first day of the New Year.Malthe Conrad Bruun, Universal geography, or A description of all the parts of the world, Vol. II., London 1822, p. 282 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 {{lang|prs-Latn|Dehqān}} ({{langx|prs|دهقان}}, '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".{{cite web|url=http://usembassy-israel.org.il/publish/peace/archives/2002/march/032109.html|title=Bush Sends Nowruz Greetings to Afghans|publisher=American Embassy Press Section|date=20 March 2002|access-date=6 April 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100202150044/http://www.usembassy-israel.org.il/publish/peace/archives/2002/march/032109.html|archive-date=2 February 2010}} In March 2022, the Taliban said that Nauruz would not be a public holiday that year, although allowed celebrations to take place.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taliban-cancel-public-holiday-nowruz-say-celebrations-allowed-2022-03-20/|title=Taliban cancel public holiday for Nowruz but say celebrations allowed|publisher=Reuters|date=20 March 2022|last1=Greenfield|first1=Charlotte|access-date=6 February 2023|archive-date=6 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106213407/https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taliban-cancel-public-holiday-nowruz-say-celebrations-allowed-2022-03-20/|url-status=live}}

{{Main|Nevruz in 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".

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.{{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|access-date=29 March 2015|archive-date=8 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150208024837/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2010/05/iran-armenia-booze-and-relative-freedom-lure-iranians-to-christian-enclave-to-the-north.html|url-status=live}} The influx of tourists from Iran accelerated since around 2010–11.{{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|access-date=29 March 2015|archive-date=2 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402104325/http://www.rferl.org/content/iranians_armenia_norouz_holiday_travel/2347526.html|url-status=live}}{{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|publisher=ArmeniaNow|date=22 March 2011|access-date=29 March 2015|archive-date=2 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402154545/http://www.armenianow.com/features/28417/armenia_nowruz_iranian_new_year|url-status=dead}} In 2010 alone, around 27,600 Iranians spent Nowruz in capital Yerevan.{{cite news|last1=Katrandjian|first1=Olivia|title=Postcard from Armenia|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2010/05/armenia-the-new-iranian-tourist-destination.html|agency=PBS|date=16 May 2010|access-date=6 September 2017|archive-date=23 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023094639/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2010/05/armenia-the-new-iranian-tourist-destination.html|url-status=live}}

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.{{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|publisher=Hetq Online|date=21 March 2015|access-date=29 March 2015|archive-date=31 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150331081808/http://hetq.am/eng/news/59168/president-sargsyan-happy-nowruz-toarmenias-kurds-and-iran.html|url-status=live}}

{{Main|Novruz in Azerbaijan}}

In Azerbaijan, Nowruz celebrations go on for several days and included festive public dancing and folk music, and sporting competitions. In rural areas, crop holidays are also marked.{{cite web|url=http://www.studentsoftheworld.info/sites/arts/3559.php|title=Studentsoftheworld – Azeri Traditions|publisher=Students of the World|access-date=6 April 2010|archive-date=24 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100824055432/http://www.studentsoftheworld.info/sites/arts/3559.php|url-status=live}} Additionally, in Azerbaijani tradition, the weather on the first day of Novruz is believed to forecast the seasons: spring, summer follows on the second day, autumn on the third, and winter on the fourth.{{cite web |title=NOVRUZ HOLIDAY |url=https://azerbaijan.az/en/related-information/65 |website=Azerbaijan.az |access-date=May 15, 2024 |archive-date=17 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240617133416/https://azerbaijan.az/en/related-information/65 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Nazrin |first1=Nazrin |title=Azerbaijanis celebrate Last Tuesday before Novruz Holiday |url=https://www.azernews.az/nation/65367.html |website=Azer News |access-date=May 15, 2024 |date=March 18, 2014 |archive-date=4 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204224716/https://www.azernews.az/nation/65367.html |url-status=live }}

Communities of the Azerbaijani diaspora also celebrate Nowruz in the US, Canada,{{cite web|title=Nowruz Holiday|url=https://azeriamericanews.com/tag/nowruz-holiday/|publisher=Azeri America|access-date=24 December 2018|archive-date=24 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181224074142/https://azeriamericanews.com/tag/nowruz-holiday/|url-status=live}} and Israel.{{cite web|title=Open air celebrations at Nowruz Bayram in Israel|date=30 October 2012|url=http://vestnikkavkaza.net/articles/society/68622.html|publisher=Vestnik Kavkaza|access-date=11 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151225183449/http://vestnikkavkaza.net/articles/society/68622.html|archive-date=25 December 2015}}

Nowruz is generally not celebrated by Bangladeshis, but it is widely celebrated by the country's Shia Muslims. It continues to be celebrated regularly in Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi and Khulna. During the Mughal period; Nowruz was celebrated for 19 days with pomp and gaiety.{{Cite book|last=Koch|first=Ebba|date=2011|chapter=The Mughal Audience Hall: A Solomonic Revival of Persepolis in the Form of a Mosque|editor-last=Duindam|editor-first=Jeroen|editor2-last=Artan|editor2-first=Tülay|editor3-last=Kunt|editor3-first=Metin|title=Royal Courts in Dynastic States and Empires|series=A Global Perspective|publisher=Brill|pages=313–338|jstor=10.1163/j.ctt1w8h2rh.19}}{{cite web|url=http://ranasafvi.com/nauroz-then-and-now/|title=Nauroz Then and Now|date=20 March 2015|website=Rana Safvi|language=en-US|access-date=19 March 2019|archive-date=27 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327091730/http://ranasafvi.com/nauroz-then-and-now/|url-status=live}} 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 grandeur. In the evening, they used to float thousands of candle lights in nearby ponds and water bodies. The National poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, also a Sunni, 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.{{Cite Banglapedia|article=Nauroj|author=Rofique, Rafiqul Islam}}

{{See also|Navruz in Uzbekistan}}

Nowruz widely celebrated on a vast territory of Central Asia and ritual practice acquired its special features.Malikov Azim, The celebration of Nawruz in Bukhara and Samarkand in ritual practice and social discourse (the second half of the 19th – the beginning of the 20th century) in Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia. volume 48. issue 2., 2020, pp.124–131. 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.Malikov A.M., The celebration of Nawruz in Bukhara and Samarkand in ritual practice and social discourse (the second half of the 19th – the beginning of the 20th century) in Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia. volume 48. issue 2. 2020, p.124. Currently, all five Central Asian countries (Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan) celebrate Nowruz as a public holiday.{{Cite web|last=|date=18 February 2020|title=Nowruz in Central Asia|url=https://www.youngpioneertours.com/nowruz-in-central-asia/|access-date=28 May 2022|website=Young Pioneer Tours|language=en|archive-date=17 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517163613/https://www.youngpioneertours.com/nowruz-in-central-asia/|url-status=live}}

Traditionally, Nowruz is celebrated mainly in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region by the Uyghurs, Chinese Tajik, Salar, Kyrgyz and Kazakh ethnicities.

Nowruz is not celebrated by Georgians, but it is widely celebrated by the country's large Azerbaijani minority (~7% of the total population){{cite web|url=http://agenda.ge/article/743/eng|title=Spring is in the air: Novruz in Tbilisi|access-date=25 September 2015|archive-date=25 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925203534/http://agenda.ge/article/743/eng|url-status=live}} as well as by Iranians living in Georgia.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7Gi4yf3OXM|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017061327/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7Gi4yf3OXM|archive-date=17 October 2015|url-status=dead|title=Iranians in Georgia celebrate Nowruz|website=YouTube|access-date=25 September 2015}} 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.{{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|access-date=25 September 2015|archive-date=25 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925213128/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|url-status=live}}{{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|access-date=25 September 2015|archive-date=25 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925212537/http://www.ombudsman.ge/en/news/public-defender-congratulates-georgian-citizens-of-azeri-origin-with-nowruz-bairam.page|url-status=dead}}

File:Navrouz2015New delhi.JPG, India, 2015]]

File:Nauroz durbar of Jahangir (left half), From the St. Petersburg Album (Russian Academy of Sciences Ms. E-14 f.10).jpg during the reign of Jahangir, depicted as part of the St. Petersburg Album of the Russian Academy of Sciences.]]

The 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.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qtxlCgAAQBAJ|title=Medieval Andhra: A Socio-Historical Perspective|last=Pandey|first=Alpana|date=2015|publisher=Partridge Publishing|isbn=978-1-4828-5017-8|language=en|access-date=5 October 2020|archive-date=12 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312135811/https://books.google.com/books?id=qtxlCgAAQBAJ|url-status=live}} 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.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qtxlCgAAQBAJ|title=Medieval Andhra: A Socio-Historical Perspective|last=Pandey|first=Alpana|date=11 August 2015|publisher=Partridge Publishing|isbn=978-1-4828-5017-8|language=en|access-date=5 October 2020|archive-date=12 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312135811/https://books.google.com/books?id=qtxlCgAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}

A popular Deccani Urdu poem written by the founder of Hyderabad, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, is recited in the Deccan region on Nauroz:

{{Verse translation |lang=ur |rtl1=y |italicsoff=y |1=

کہ نس دن عید ہور نوروز منج کوں نت خدا دیتا

مرے دل مرغ کی خاطر پھولاں عشرت نوا دیتا

|2=

The way God has given me Eid and Nauroz forevermore

The flowers give the birds of my heart bliss and joy galore

}}

{{See also|Nowruz Eve among Mazandarani people}}Nowruz is a two-week celebration that marks the beginning of the New Year in Iran's official Solar Hijri calendar.{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/calendars|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Iranica|title=Calendars|trans-title=The solar Hejrī (Š. = Šamsī) and Šāhanšāhī calendars|access-date=4 July 2017|archive-date=17 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517021434/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/calendars|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7963647.stm|title=Iran's festive drink and drugs binge|date=27 March 2009|publisher=BBC World News|access-date=22 August 2017|archive-date=22 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822101250/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7963647.stm|url-status=live}} 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 21 March.{{cite web|url=https://www.mysteryofiran.com/holidays-in-iran|title=Iran Public Holidays 2017|publisher=Mystery of Iran|access-date=6 July 2017|archive-date=10 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010060510/https://www.mysteryofiran.com/holidays-in-iran|url-status=dead}} On the Eve of Nowruz, the fire festival Chaharshanbe Suri is celebrated.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7953485.stm|title=Divided views on Iran's new year|publisher=BBC World News|date=20 March 2009|access-date=22 August 2017|archive-date=22 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822102225/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7953485.stm|url-status=live}} Following the 1979 Revolution, some radical elements from the Islamic government attempted to suppress Nowruz,{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C00EFDB1F31F933A15750C0A9609C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all|newspaper=The New York Times|title=Ayatollahs Aside, Iranians Jump for Joy at Spring|author=Michael Slackman|date=20 March 2006|access-date=18 February 2017|archive-date=28 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228090317/https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C00EFDB1F31F933A15750C0A9609C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all|url-status=live}} considering it a pagan holiday and a distraction from Islamic holidays. Nowruz has been politicized, with political leaders making annual Nowruz speeches.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2013/03/21/the-politicization-of-nowruz-irans-new-year/|title=The politicization of Nowruz, Iran's new year|newspaper=The Washington Post|author=Jason Rezaian|date=21 March 2013|access-date=22 August 2017|archive-date=30 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830195636/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2013/03/21/the-politicization-of-nowruz-irans-new-year/|url-status=live}}

{{See also|Food inflation in Iran|Salaries in Iran}}

As of 2025 the inflation in Iran is skyrocketing and specifically, the food prices are surging.

As a result the prices of Haft Sin items and traditional Nowruz foods in Iran have significantly increased, reflecting the country's ongoing economic challenges and high inflation rates.{{Cite web |last=Hosseini |first=Mehdi |date=2025-02-02 |title=The Rise in Food Prices in Iran Exacerbates Household Economic Hardships |url=https://iranfocus.com/economy/53283-the-rise-in-food-prices-in-iran-exacerbates-household-economic-hardships/ |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=Iran Focus |language=en-US |archive-date=4 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250304084542/https://iranfocus.com/economy/53283-the-rise-in-food-prices-in-iran-exacerbates-household-economic-hardships/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Farda |first=RFE/RL's Radio |title=Iran's Inflation Taking Bite Out Of Traditional Persian New Year Meals |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-inflation-persian-new-year-/32860555.html |access-date=2025-03-04 |work=RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty |language=en |archive-date=4 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250304084542/https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-inflation-persian-new-year-/32860555.html |url-status=live }}

The overall cost of preparing a Haft-Seen table is estimated to exceed half a million tomans in 2025.{{Cite web |last=Aslani |first=Mostafa |date=2024-03-13 |title=Iranians Face Soaring Prices Ahead of Nowruz |url=https://irannewsupdate.com/news/news-digest/iranians-face-soaring-prices-ahead-of-nowruz/ |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=Iran News Update |language=en-US |archive-date=4 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250304084543/https://irannewsupdate.com/news/news-digest/iranians-face-soaring-prices-ahead-of-nowruz/ |url-status=live }} Adding a fish and vegetable pilaf to the New Year's Eve meal pushes the total cost for a typical household to approximately 1,600,000 tomans.

The price of specific food items have notably increased:

• Dates increased from 110,000 tomans per kilogram in early March to 135,000 tomans by mid-March 2025 (an increase of 22.7%).
• Lentils and white beans jumped from 85,000 tomans per kilogram in mid-February to 105,000 tomans by mid-March 2025 (an increase of 23.5%).{{Cite web |last=Osmak |first=Martina |date=2025-02-19 |title=Food Prices in Iran Soar: Meat and Rice Costs Skyrocket |url=https://meatborsa.com/en/blog/food-prices-in-iran-soar-meat-and-rice-costs-skyrocket |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=meatborsa.com |language=en |archive-date=4 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250304092701/https://meatborsa.com/en/blog/food-prices-in-iran-soar-meat-and-rice-costs-skyrocket |url-status=live }}
• Iranian rice prices have risen by 45% over the past year, with one kilogram increasing from one million rials to 1.45 million rials (an increase of 45%).
• Imported rice prices surged even more dramatically, with a 10-kilogram bag of Pakistani rice increasing from 6.5 million rials in January 2024 to 17.5 million rials in January 2025, representing a 169% increase.{{Cite web |date=2025-01-30 |title=Cost of essential goods in Iran increases beyond government estimates |url=https://www.iranintl.com/en/202501300005 |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=www.iranintl.com |language=en |archive-date=4 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250304092700/https://www.iranintl.com/en/202501300005 |url-status=live }}
• Fruits, which are often part of the Haft Sin spread, have also seen price increase:
• pomegranates saw the highest price increase at 11.1%, followed by bananas (3.7%) and apples (3.6%) compared to the previous month. In contrast, some fruits experienced slight price declines, with melons dropping by 9.6% and oranges by 4.6%.
• A kilo of beef costs 9,900,000 rials ($10.50), cooking oil is 5,700,000 rials ($6.10), and even a simple loaf of bread is 200,000 rials (21 cents). Kiwis cost 1,500,000 rials ($1.60) per kilo, low quality oranges are 350,000 rials (37 cents), and the cheapest apples are 460,000 rials (49 cents).{{Cite web |date=2025-03-02 |title=Iranians struggling to afford basic needs as new year approaches |url=https://www.iranintl.com/en/202503017712 |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=www.iranintl.com |language=en}}

{{Main|Newroz as celebrated by Kurds}}

File:1398نوروز سنندج.jpg celebrating Nowruz in Sanandaj, Iran, 2019|thumb|right]]

Newroz is largely considered a potent symbol of Kurdish identity. The Kurds of Turkey celebrate this feast between 18 and 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.marcocavallini.it/kurdish.html|title=Kurdistan turco|publisher=Marcocavallini.it|access-date=6 April 2010|archive-date=14 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214040145/http://www.marcocavallini.it/kurdish.html|url-status=live}} Newroz has seen many bans in Turkey, as Turkey has a strong and long history of trying to suppress Kurdish history and culture. It has only been celebrated legally since 1992 after the ban on the Kurdish language was lifted. The holiday is now officially allowed in Turkey after international pressure on the Turkish government to lift culture bans. The Turkish government renamed the holiday Nevroz in 1995. However, Newroz celebrations are still suppressed and lead to continual confrontations with the Turkish authority. In Cizre, Nusyabin and Şırnak celebrations turned violent as Turkish police forces fired in the celebrating crowds.{{Cite book|title=Identität, Ethnizität und Nationalismus in Kurdistan|last=Richter|first=Fabian|date=2016|publisher=LIT Verlag Münster|isbn=978-3-643-13234-5|page=55|language=de}} In recent years, the Newroz celebration summons around 1 million participants in Diyarbakır, the biggest city of the Kurdish dominated Southeastern Turkey.

In Syria, the Kurds dress up in their national dress and celebrate the New Year.{{cite book|title=The Kurds|first=Philip G.|last=Kreyenbroek|author2=Sperl, Stefan Sperl|publisher=Routledge|year=1991|isbn=978-0-415-07265-6|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/kurds00pkre}} According to Human Rights Watch, the Kurds have had to struggle to celebrate Newroz, and in the past and the celebration has led to violent oppression, leading to several deaths and mass arrests.{{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|author=Amnesty International|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061119034152/http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE240202004?open&of=ENG-352|archive-date=19 November 2006}} 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.{{cite book|title=The Kurds: Culture and Language Rights|first=Kerim|last=Yildiz|author2=Fryer, Georgina|publisher=Kurdish Human Rights Project|year=2004|isbn=978-1-900175-74-6}} During the Newroz celebrations in 2008, three Kurds were shot dead by Syrian security forces.{{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|publisher=Monsters And Critics|access-date=20 March 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321175922/http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1396362.php/Three_Kurds_killed_in_Syria_shooting_human_rights_group_says|archive-date=21 March 2012}}{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL21565217|title=Police kill three Kurds in northeast Syria – group|date=21 March 2008|work=Reuters|access-date=1 July 2017|archive-date=28 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161128141642/http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL21565217|url-status=live}} In March 2010, an attack by Syrian police killed two or three people, one of them a 15-year-old girl, and more than 50 people were wounded.{{cite web|url=http://www.rojhelat.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=198:2010-03-24-20-49-16&catid=29:rojava&Itemid=61|title=Rojhelat News|access-date=12 April 2019|archive-date=5 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305101103/http://www.rojhelat.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=198:2010-03-24-20-49-16&catid=29:rojava&Itemid=61|url-status=dead}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2019/3/17/turkey-bans-kurdish-newroz-celebrations-in-afrin|title=Turkey bans Newroz celebrations for Syrian Kurds in Afrin|website=alaraby|date=17 March 2019|language=en|access-date=12 April 2019|archive-date=13 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413115515/https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2019/3/17/turkey-bans-kurdish-newroz-celebrations-in-afrin|url-status=live}}

Kurds in Iraq and Iran have had more freedom to celebrate Newroz than their countrymen in Syria and Turkey.

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. Similarly, the Kurds in Finland celebrate the new year as a way of demonstrating their support for the Kurdish cause.{{cite book|title=Kurdish Diasporas: A Comparative Study of Kurdish Refugee Communities|first=Osten|last=Wahlbeck|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=1999|isbn=978-0-312-22067-9}} Also in London, organizers estimated that 25,000 people celebrated Newroz during March 2006.{{cite web|title=London celebrates Newroz: The Kurdish New Year|url=http://www.london.gov.uk/londoner/06mar/p7b.jsp?nav=on|access-date=10 March 2007|date=March 2006|publisher=The Londoner|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930202641/http://www.london.gov.uk/londoner/06mar/p7b.jsp?nav=on|archive-date=30 September 2007}} In Canada, the largest Kurdish Newroz festival is held in Ontario. In the States, the city of Nashville, Tennessee includes the largest Kurdish population in the United States. The Kurds celebrate Newroz by holding a Nashville festival; dressed in their traditional clothing, they sing and dance around a fire with their family and friends.{{cite web|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2017/06/23/who-kurds-and-why-they-nashville/97706968/|title=Who are the Kurds, and why are they in Nashville?|publisher=Tennessean.com|date=|accessdate=19 March 2022|archive-date=28 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728022330/https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2017/06/23/who-kurds-and-why-they-nashville/97706968/|url-status=live}}

In Pakistan, Nowruz is typically celebrated in parts of Gilgit-Baltistan,{{cite web|date=1 April 2018|title=Nowruz in Pakistan – The kite festival|url=http://persiadigest.com/en/news/1454|access-date=8 July 2020|website=en|language=en}} Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, especially near the border with Afghanistan, and across Balochistan, with a large celebration held in the capital of Quetta.{{cite web|date=25 March 2019|title=Nowruz celebrated in Pakistan with Iran's active participation|url=https://en.irna.ir/news/83253459/Nowruz-celebrated-in-Pakistan-with-Iran-s-active-participation|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200709062329/https://en.irna.ir/news/83253459/Nowruz-celebrated-in-Pakistan-with-Iran-s-active-participation|archive-date=9 July 2020|access-date=8 July 2020|website=IRNA English|language=en}} Recently, the government of Iran has participated in hosting celebrations in Islamabad to commemorate the holiday. Like in India, the Parsi and Isma'ili communities have historically celebrated the holiday,{{cite web|date=20 March 2020|title=Navroz|url=https://the.ismaili/global/our-community/festivals/navroz|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200709062346/https://the.ismaili/global/our-community/festivals/navroz|archive-date=9 July 2020|access-date=8 July 2020|website=the.Ismaili|language=en}} as have some Shi'a Muslims.

Nowruz is celebrated by the Swedish Iranian community, and in Stockholm, the {{interlanguage link|Eldfesten|sv}} annual festival is one of the largest Chaharshanbe Suri concerts and festivals in the world and is broadcast nationally on Sveriges Television and internationally on Manoto.{{cite web | url=https://www.opulens.se/nyheter/56752/ | title=SVT direktsänder Eldfesten | date=10 March 2022 | access-date=8 March 2025 | archive-date=7 December 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241207113215/https://www.opulens.se/nyheter/56752/ | url-status=live }}{{cite web | url=https://www.manototv.com/show/3062 | title=تلویزیون منوتو - تلویزیون من و تو | access-date=8 March 2025 | archive-date=20 April 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420195633/https://www.manototv.com/show/3062 | url-status=live }}{{cite news | url=https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/stockholm/varen-firas-in-med-eldfest-i-kungstradgarden | title=Våren firas in med eldfest i Kungsträdgården | newspaper=SVT Nyheter | date=12 March 2018 | last1=Nyheter | first1=S. V. T. | last2=Jangali | first2=Nicky | last3=Derblom Jobe | first3=Michelle | archive-date=7 April 2024 | access-date=8 March 2025 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240407015120/https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/stockholm/varen-firas-in-med-eldfest-i-kungstradgarden | url-status=live }}

Vibrant Persian-speaking immigrant communities in the United States have been celebrating Nowruz for decades. The state of California is considered to have the largest Persian-speaking community in the country. On 19 March 2024, Governor Gavin Newsom issued a proclamation declaring 19 March as Nowruz day.{{Cite web|date=19 March 2024|title=Governor Newsom Proclaims Nowrūz Day 2024|url=https://www.gov.ca.gov/2024/03/19/governor-newsom-proclaims-nowruz-day-2024/|access-date=22 March 2024|website=California Governor|language=en|archive-date=20 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240320004503/https://www.gov.ca.gov/2024/03/19/governor-newsom-proclaims-nowruz-day-2024/|url-status=live}}

Nowruz itself has its origins in Zoroastrianism{{cite journal |last1=Sharma |first1=Purnima |title=NOWRUZ- NEW YEAR |journal=Himalayan and Central Asian Studies |date=2018 |volume=22 |issue=4 |page=4 |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2124684703 |id={{ProQuest|2124684703}} |language=en |url-access=registration}} and is the most important of the Zoroastrian Gahambars or religious feasts.{{cite book |last1=Kreyenbroek |first1=Philip G. |last2=Rezania |first2=Kianoosh |title="Zoroastrianism under the Sasanians." Teachers and Teachings in the Good Religion: Opera Minora on Zoroastrianism |publisher=Harrassowitz |year=2013 |page=43}} The holiday celebrates the arrival of the spring which Zoroastrians see as a representation of the triumph of good (Asha) over evil (Druj), a central theme of the religion.{{cite web |title=Zoroastrian Holy Days Calendar – Office of Religious and Spiritual Life |url=https://orsl.usc.edu/life/zoroastrian-holy-days-calendar |website=orsl.usc.edu |access-date=18 December 2024 |archive-date=19 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241219230844/https://orsl.usc.edu/life/zoroastrian-holy-days-calendar/ |url-status=live }}

{{Main|Baháʼí Naw-Rúz}}

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 21 March.{{cite web|title=Naw-Ruz: The Baháʼí New Year|first=John|last=Walbridge|date=11 July 2004|url=http://bahai-library.com/walbridge_encyclopedia_nawruz|access-date=14 March 2007|archive-date=21 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821172329/http://bahai-library.com/walbridge_encyclopedia_nawruz|url-status=live}} The Baháʼí calendar is composed of 19 months, each of 19 days,{{cite book|author=Esslemont, J.E.|year=1980|title=Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era|edition=5th|publisher=Baháʼí Publishing Trust|location=Wilmette, Illinois, US|isbn=978-0-87743-160-2|url=http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/je/BNE/|pages=178–179|access-date=22 March 2008|archive-date=22 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522110030/https://reference.bahai.org/en/t/je/BNE/|url-status=live}} and each of the months is named after an attribute of God; similarly, each of the 19 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.{{cite web|first=Dale E.|last=Lehman|date=18 March 2000|access-date=14 March 2007|title=A New Year Begins|publisher=Planet Baháʼí|url=http://www.planetbahai.org/cgi-bin/articles.pl?article=46|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927061924/http://www.planetbahai.org/cgi-bin/articles.pl?article=46|archive-date=27 September 2007}} 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.{{cite book|title=Baháʼí Prayers|publisher=Baháʼí Publishing Trust|location=Wilmitte, IL|year=1991|page=261|author=Bahá'u'lláh}}{{cite book|author=Bahá'u'lláh|orig-year=1873|year=1992|title=The Kitáb-i-Aqdas: The Most Holy Book|publisher=Baháʼí Publishing Trust|location=Wilmette, Illinois, US|isbn=978-0-85398-999-8|url=http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/KA/ka-4.html.iso8859-1#pg25|page=25|access-date=22 March 2008|archive-date=8 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208101017/http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/KA/ka-4.html.iso8859-1#pg25|url-status=live}}

The day is also used to symbolize the renewal of time in each religious dispensation.{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Iranica|year=1989|article=Bahai Calendar and Festivals|first=Dennis|last=MacEoin}} 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.{{cite journal|author=`Abdu'l-Bahá|date=21 March 1913|title=Abdul-Baha at Clifton, England|url=https://bahai-library.com/pdf/sw/SW_Volume4.pdf|journal=Star of the West|volume=4|issue=1|page=4|access-date=19 March 2024|archive-date=4 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240204165416/https://bahai-library.com/pdf/sw/SW_Volume4.pdf|url-status=live}} republished in {{cite book|first=Shoghi|last=Effendi|author2=The Universal House of Justice|editor=Hornby, Helen|year=1983|title=Lights of Guidance: A Baháʼí Reference File|publisher=Baháʼí Publishing Trust, New Delhi, India|isbn=978-81-85091-46-4|url=http://bahai-library.com/hornby_lights_guidance|access-date=4 July 2010|archive-date=7 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707205623/http://bahai-library.com/hornby_lights_guidance|url-status=live}}

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.

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{{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|publisher=Rafed.net|access-date=20 March 2017|archive-date=15 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180315070542/https://en.rafed.net/islamic-articles-v15-1030/miscellaneous/3902-nowruz-in-the-twelver-shia-faith|url-status=dead}} recommend fasting.

Along with Ismailis,{{cite web|url=http://www.amaana.org/ismaili/nawruz-persian-new-year/|title=Nowruz Persian New Year – Eid Mubarak! | Ismaili Web Amaana|date=15 March 2013|publisher=Ismaili Web Amaana|access-date=22 March 2017|archive-date=1 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301021039/http://www.amaana.org/ismaili/nawruz-persian-new-year/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.theismaili.org/cms/960/Navroz|title=Navroz|publisher=The Ismaili|access-date=12 May 2011|date=18 March 2010|archive-date=2 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002051725/http://www.theismaili.org/cms/960/Navroz|url-status=dead}} Alawites{{cite web |last1=Khat |first1=Azmat |title=Syria's Secretive Ruling Minority Sect |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/syrias-secretive-ruling-minority-sect/#:~:text=Padnos%20writes%3A,spring%2C%20and%20sometimes%20celebrate%20Christmas. |website=FRONTLINE |access-date=18 December 2024 |archive-date=22 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241222190654/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/syrias-secretive-ruling-minority-sect/#:~:text=Padnos%20writes%3A,spring%2C%20and%20sometimes%20celebrate%20Christmas. |url-status=live }} and Alevis, the Twelver Shia also hold the day of Nowruz in high regard. {{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

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."{{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|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324030149/http://www.ic-el.com/en/old/show_news.asp?idnum=61&state=article|archive-date=24 March 2016}}{{better source needed|date=December 2021}}

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{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}, Ruhollah KhomeiniTahrir al-Wasilah, by Ayatollah Khomeini, Vol. 1, pp. 302–303 and Ali al-Sistani.Islamic Laws, by Ali al-Sistani, under the section; "Mustahab Fasts" However, Prominent Twelver clerics like the Ayatollahs Ruhollah Khomeini and Ali Khamenei have also disparaged the actual holiday of Nowruz, condemning its origins in Zoroastrianism.{{cite web |title=What Do the Ayatollahs Have Against Nowruz? |url=https://iranwire.com/en/features/69205/ |website=iranwire.com |access-date=18 December 2024 |language=en |archive-date=15 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240815162506/https://iranwire.com/en/features/69205/ |url-status=live }} The day also assumes special significance for Shias as it has been said that it was on 16 March 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.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

{{Portal|Holidays}}

{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}

• Akitu
• Aroos-Gooleh
• Ayeneh taudani
• Baháʼí Naw-Rúz
• Dehwa Rabba, the Mandaean New Year
• Dehwa d-Shishlam Rabba, the Mandaean "Little Nowruz"
• Ēostre
• Holi
• Kha b-Nisan
• New Year's Day
• Pahela Baishakh
• Sham Ennessim
• Vernal Equinox Day, one of the two Kōreisai Japanese holidays

{{Div col end}}

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

• {{Cite journal|last1=Mozaffari|first1=Ali|last2=Akbar|first2=Ali|date=20 August 2023|title=Heritage Diplomacy and Soft Power Competition Between Iran and Turkey: Competing Claims over Rumi and Nowruz|journal=International Journal of Cultural Policy|volume=30|issue=5|pages=597–614|doi=10.1080/10286632.2023.2241872|doi-access=free|issn=1028-6632}}

{{Commons category|Nowruz}}

• {{Iranica|nowruz-index}}

{{Nowruz}}

{{Zoroastrian Calendar}}

{{New Year by Calendar}}

{{Intangible Heritage Azerbaijan}}

{{Intangible Heritage Iran}}

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