Today, March 20th is Persian New Year, known as Nowruz or Norooz, which means ‘New Day’. It is a celebration of nature’s rebirth which lasts two weeks. Nowruz has been celebrated for over 3,000 years in Western Asia, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Black Sea Basin and the Balkans, which marks the first day of the first month (Farvardin) in the Iranian calendar.
Nowruz is the day of the vernal equinox and marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. It usually occurs on 21 March or the previous or following day, depending on where it is observed. The moment the sun crosses the celestial equator and equalizes night and day is calculated exactly every year, and families gather together to observe the rituals.
Nowruz is the day of the vernal equinox and marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. It usually occurs on the 20th, 21st or 22nd of March depending on where it is observed. The moment the sun crosses the celestial equator and equalizes night and day is calculated exactly every year during which time all families gather together to observe the rituals welcoming the Spring by celebrating the New Year!
One of the traditions is to set up a “Haft Seen” which is a table decorated with 7 items that begin with the letter “S” which is “Seen” in Farsi. To view the details the symbolic meaning of each of these items, check out this website. Haleh Niroo’s Haft-Seen consists of a beautiful set of Herend bowls and figurines as well as L’Objet bowl to beautify all the symbolic decorations.
Wishing you all a beautiful day welcoming Spring!
