The Persian New Year is an Iranian holiday held each year on the first day of spring - March 20th.

The many variations in spelling, including Norouz, Norooz or Noh Ruz all stem from the Persian word nowruz, meaning ‘new day’. Origins of the festival are thought to stretch back as far as 500 BC and revolve around honoring the End and Rebirth as conceived by the major Persian religion, Zoroastrianism.

In ancient times, Zoroastrians celebrated a festival called Farvardgan, which occurred during the end of the solar year and lasted ten days. It is believed that this was a festival of sorrow and mourning while, in contrast, Nowruz signified rebirth and became a time of joyous celebration.

To this day, the holiday is celebrated in many of the countries that were once territories of the Persian Empire, including Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan. Wherever celebrated, it is a time of singing, dancing, visiting friends and family, and lots and lots of feasting.

During the preceding weeks, many activities are undertaken to enhance the signification of renewal and rebirth. These include spring-cleaning and reorganising the home, baking pastries and germinating seeds.

A few days before the New Year, a ceremonial cloth, known as the ‘cloth of seven dishes’, is laid out on the carpet or on a table in Persian homes. The seven dishes it is laden with stand for life-rebirth, health, happiness, prosperity, joy, patience and beauty.

Among the symbolic dishes served are sabzeh or sprouts, usually wheat or lentil, and samanu, a sweet, creamy pudding made from wheat sprouts. Other holiday dishes said to represent new life include apples, which signifies health and beauty, and senjed, the sweet, dry fruit of the wild olive, which is said to symbolise love.

Pastries are also central to the celebrations. Many people place seven special sweets on the table in accordance with the ancient legend of King Jamshid, who is said to have discovered sugar on Nowruz. The seven sweets include Persian baklava, made with almonds, pistachios and rose water; noghls (sugar-coated almonds); nan-e nokhodchi (chick-pea cookies); and sohan asali, almonds cooked with honey and saffron and garnished with pistachios.

Other specialty foods of the season include a noodle soup made with fresh herbs and spinach that represents unraveling the difficulties in the year to come. As eggs symbolise fertility, herb kuku, a dish laden with many eggs and fresh herbs, is also popular, as is batmanglij, a dish of rice made green and pungent by the addition of fresh herbs and fava beans. Fish, which represents abundance, is always on the menu.

The major meal of the season is a family feast similar to the Jewish Passover Seder or Easter brunch. During the fortnight that follows, many festive meals are enjoyed with family and friends, culminating in a large outdoor picnic. Families typically find a picnic spot where they can eat kabobs, green rice, noodle soup and pastries. Often the sprouts that have been germinated prior to the New Year are thrown into a pond or lake, symbolizing the banishing of evil spirits and thoughts in order to start the year afresh.

Such celebrations are remarkably popular amongst Persians the world over. Thousands of Australians celebrate Norouz and the festivities can last for up to two weeks. Many community events are held across the country, which may include everything from Sufi poetry readings to Arabic dance parties and picnics.

Find out what celebrations are occurring in your area for the Persian New Year by checking local Iranian newspapers, websites and community resources.

Oz Persia
Visit the events forum to find out about New Year’s celebrations being held in Sydney, Melbourne and elsewhere.
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