{"id":117966,"date":"2024-04-20T12:09:51","date_gmt":"2024-04-20T17:09:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/?p=117966"},"modified":"2024-04-20T12:09:51","modified_gmt":"2024-04-20T17:09:51","slug":"norooz-the-iranian-persian-new-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/2024\/04\/20\/norooz-the-iranian-persian-new-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Norooz: The Iranian (Persian) New Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

David N. Rahni \u2014\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Persian Heritage, #111, Spring 2024 \u2014\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Norooz,<\/strong>\u00a0commemorating the New Year, has been celebrated in\u00a0Iran<\/strong>,\u00a0formerly\u00a0Persia<\/em>,<\/strong>\u00a0throughout nearly three millennia of its recorded history. Norooz begins at the\u00a0vernal equinox<\/em><\/strong>, the first day of spring season, a day of rejuvenation and reconciliation, and, reinvigorations and rebirth. Norooz\u2019s arrival is symbolized in nature by the sprouting of greens and grains, flowers and trees.\u00a0 The Norooz holidays of today span from\u00a0Charshanbeh Suri<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(jumping over the bonfire to absorb its reddish healthy strength, while getting rid of one\u203as yellow unhealthy state of being), on the evening preceding the last Wednesday of the old year, climaxing at Norooz, and concluding with\u00a0Sizdeh Bedar<\/em>,<\/strong>\u00a0the thirteenth day of the New Year. Iranians spend the last day of the holidays at a picnic in the orchards, on the prairies, by the seaside, or in the foothills where they eat and drink, dance and sing, and play and joke. On that day, the single women knot grass together in the hope of marriage before the next Norooz! \u00a0Integral to Norooz are the visits exchanged and paying tribute to the elders, as well as receiving monetary and other gifts from them.<\/p>\n

Norooz has its own culinary dishes and pastries, sweets and desserts that are quite distinct from the rest of the year. Enjoying street performances is commonplace throughout Iran.\u00a0 The Persian\u00a0Prefix<\/em>\u00a0\u201cno-\u201d,<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0as in\u00a0No<\/em><\/strong>Rooz, is the equivalent of \u201cnew\u201d and \u201cnow\u201d in English since both languages are rooted in Indo-European origins.\u00a0Iran\u00a0has, by and large, remained quite diverse since antiquity. Norooz, which celebrates the divine creation of\u00a0Zoroastrian<\/strong>\u00a0Lord of Wisdom-Ahura Mazda<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0who created the Universe, the Guardian Angels (Forouhars) and the holy fire-is the most cherished of all Iranian festivals. The ancient practice of observing the commencement of the spring season was not necessarily reserved to Iranians (Persians); many neighboring nations have and continue observing it. The indigenous tribes roaming the Persian Plateau during 6,000 years before the Persians arrived, along with the\u00a0Babylonians<\/strong>\u00a0of\u00a0Mesopotamia<\/strong>,\u00a0who had paid special attention to the role of the lengthening days warmed by Sun for their survival (Sol Invictus<\/em><\/strong>).<\/p>\n

Today several hundred million people in the south, south central and southwest Asia observe Norooz, or a close variation of it. In fact, Zoroastrianism and, to a lesser extent, other Persian faiths such as\u00a0Mithraism<\/strong>,\u00a0\u00a0Mazdakism<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Manichaeism<\/strong>\u00a0that were in part inspired by Buddhism, later influenced the shaping the three Semitic\u00a0monotheistic<\/strong>\u00a0religions. The early Christians celebrated the birth of Jesus in early spring, and epiphany commemorated the arrival of the three Wise Men, the\u00a0Magi<\/em><\/strong>, who were said to be\u00a0Zoroastrian<\/strong>\u00a0priests. The New Year in the west, that began in early March and was observed in Europe and North America until the late 18th<\/sup>\u00a0Century, was called the\u00a0Common New Year<\/em><\/strong>. Today\u2019s Christmas is due to\u00a0Pope Emperor Constantine<\/strong>\u2019s moving the birth of Jesus to mask the birth of Indo-Iranian deity\u00a0Mithra<\/strong>\u00a0to the\u00a0winter solstice<\/em><\/strong>!\u00a0 Furthermore, the concurrent celebration of\u00a0Purim\u00a0, Passover<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Easter<\/strong>\u00a0by the Jews and Christians in tandem with Norooz cannot be construed as coincidental, but rather a common heritage.<\/p>\n

[1] <\/strong>Norooz was celebrated in an early Persian mythological dynasty,\u00a0the Kianis<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0heralded by Jamshid (Shah Jam). The\u00a0Kiani dynasty<\/em>\u00a0is cited with national pride and nostalgic reverence in\u00a0Shahnameh<\/em>,<\/strong>\u00a0the 60,000 poetic verses of the Epic Book of [Persian] Kings, written by\u00a0Ferdowsi<\/strong>\u00a0(the\u00a0Paradisi,<\/strong>\u00a0the paradise) in the 11th<\/sup>\u00a0century C.E.\u00a0 The oldest archaeological record of the Norooz celebration comes from the\u00a0Achaemenid<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0period of over 2,500 years ago, where pictorial illustrations and inscriptions on the grand inner Halls of Persepolis, the\u00a0Apadana<\/strong>, depict King\u00a0Darius<\/strong>\u00a0receiving the ambassadors and emissaries presenting Norooz gifts from his vast empire. The Achaemenid Kings actually gave immunity to a commoner chosen to rule in the Palace for a day at Norooz for the king\u2019s self-reflection. This practice later led to wise and dancing artisans in the street who are\u00a0Haji Pirooz<\/strong>\u00a0(the victorious pilgrim!), as well the royal tolerance of\u00a0court jesters\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>in both Iranian and European\u00a0regal courts.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A\u00a0<\/strong>major part of the New Year ritual is setting up a special table with seven specific items present,\u00a0Haft Sin<\/strong>\u00a0(Haft Chin<\/em>, hinting at the seven picked crops before Islam, and the seven days of creation). In ancient times each of the items corresponded to one of the seven, sacred living creations and the seven holy immortals protecting them.<\/p>\n

Today some modifications are made, but a few of the original items have kept their symbolism. All seven items start with the letter \u201cS\u201d; this was not the requirement in ancient times. Zoroastrians today do not have the seven \u201cS\u201d, but they do have a ritual of growing seven seeds. The ancient Iranians also grew seven seeds as a reminder that this is the seventh feast of the creation, and the new growth symbolized the festival\u2019s other aspect, namely, a feast of resurrection and the eternal cycle of life.<\/p>\n

Sabzeh<\/em><\/strong>, green shoots of wheat, barley, millet, or lentils are planted on flat plates a few days before the New Year arrives. Decorated with colorful red, white and green ribbons,\u00a0Sabzeh<\/em>\u00a0along with hyacinth, tulips and daffodils are displayed with Haft-sin and then thrown into streams the last day of the Norooz holidays, on\u00a0\u201cSizdeh bedar<\/strong>\u201d<\/em>, the 13th day after Norooz (It coincides with April fool\u2019s day in the west!) A few live\u00a0gold fish<\/strong>\u00a0(presumably denoting the origin of life in water) are placed in a bowl. In the old days the fish would be taken to the riverbanks or\u00a0qanats<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0after the holidays; however, today most children, mesmerized by them, keep them as pets, either in the courtyard pond (Howz<\/em><\/strong>) or in an aquarium indoors.<\/p>\n

Mirrors are placed on the Haft-Sin table, and candles are lit adjacent to it to aid the reflection of light and the scared fire if present, and to signify knowledge and wisdom.\u00a0Mirrors and candelabra were significant artifacts in Zoroastrian symbolic art and architecture, and still are integral components of most Iranian celebrations, especially the wedding ceremony. Mirrors are also used extensively in Iranian mystical literature as well and represent introspection and retrospection. Most Iranian burial shrines and mausoleums are still extensively decorated with highly ordered, complex geometrical mirrors, a popular decorative style since ancient times. Again, light is regarded as sacred by the Zoroastrians, and the effective use of mirrors intensifies the reflection of the light.<\/p>\n

In ancient times, wine was always present at the Haft-Sin. Since the Muslim conquest, wine has been replaced by vinegar or at times with honey since alcohol is banned in Islam. The\u00a0Egg<\/strong>, a universal symbol of fertility, corresponding to Mother Earth,\u00a0Sepanta Armaiti<\/em>,<\/strong>\u00a0and hints at the concept of\u00a0Faravahar,<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0the highest achievement of human soul. Eggs are hard-boiled and traditionally colored red, green, magenta, scarlet, or yellow, colors favored by Zoroastrians. Recently following the Easter egg tradition, more colors are used and the eggs are elaborately decorated and offered to children as treats. Fresh garlic is used to ward off any bad omen.<\/p>\n

This is said to be a modern innovation, as there is no evidence that garlic was used in this context in antiquity, but perhaps it may have been one of the seven herbs grown at Norooz.\u00a0Samanoo<\/em><\/strong>, a thick, brownish, malted paste, is present on the table today. It makes for a nutritious meal and could have been part of the feast in ancient times. Coins (symbolizing wealth and prosperity), fruits, special sweets and baked pastries, and a holy book for the believers, are present as well.<\/p>\n

The Achaemenians created the first superpower empire in the world, spanning from\u00a0India\u00a0to Central Asia, the Caucuses and Asia Minor, and extending deep into\u00a0North Africa. Although they built four magnificent mega-palaces, a residence for each season, the\u00a0Persepolis<\/strong>\u00a0complex (Takhte Jamshid, still standing north of\u00a0Shiraz\u00a0in central Iran), was the Grand Palace where the Kings celebrated Norooz and spring. Among the most notable Persian Kings were\u00a0Cyrus the Great<\/strong>\u00a0(revered in the Torah as the savior, whoreconquered\u00a0Jerusalem,\u00a0invited the Jews to return and rebuild it). Cyrus is also credited as having decreed the first universal\u00a0Declaration of Human Rights<\/strong>. He was followed by\u00a0Darius<\/strong>, (who dug the first\u00a0Suez Canal<\/strong>\u00a0and further bolstered the federal system of many nations,\u00a0satrapies<\/em><\/strong>, and the pony express.), and\u00a0\u00a0Xerxes<\/strong>, (whose\u00a0inscriptions<\/strong>\u00a0in Asia Minor boasting of his heroic bravery, as reluctantly recorded by the Greek nationalist historian,\u00a0Herodotus<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

The\u00a0first historical<\/strong>\u00a0evidence of human settlement in the Iranian plateau dates back to well over 10,000 years ago, as attested by the discoveries of a chess\/ backgammon set in Shahreh Sookhteh\u00a0a.a.<\/em>\u00a0the\u00a0Burned City<\/strong>\u00a0(in the southeastern\u00a0Zabol\u00a0region), the two baked\u00a0\u00a0fermentation pots<\/strong>\u00a0(from the northwestern Oroomieh region) currently deposited at the University of Pennsylvania, and\u00a0Teppe Sialk<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0mounds with seventeen layers of settlements.<\/p>\n

As a result of the latter discovery, the time of the earliest organized agriculture and domestication of flora and fauna was moved back by nearly 2,000 years to 8,000 B.C.E. to the beginning of the human civilization!\u00a0 The diverse indigenous people in southwest Asia were absorbed into the three major incoming Iranian Aryan tribes of the\u00a0Medes<\/em>,<\/strong>\u00a0Parthians\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>and the\u00a0Persians<\/em>,<\/strong>\u00a0who arrived from central Asia, east of the Caspian Sea, over 3,000 years ago.<\/p>\n

In fact, the name,\u00a0Iran<\/em><\/strong>, derives from the Indo-European roots of\u00a0Middle Pahlavi,<\/strong>\u00a0which means the land of the Aryans; interestingly, the same root is also found in\u00a0Ireland<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0as a word.<\/p>\n

Americans of Iranian\/Persian<\/strong>\u00a0heritage, recognized among the most educated and\u00a0affluent immigrant<\/strong>\u00a0communities with nearly one million celebrate Norooz through\u00a0parade<\/strong>\u00a0processions,<\/strong>\u00a0musical\u00a0concerts<\/strong>,\u00a0theatrical<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0movie<\/strong>\u00a0performances,\u00a0street fairs<\/strong>\u00a0and bazaars, and college and private parties throughout the U.S. and Canada.<\/p>\n

Although the commemoration of Norooz may have been somewhat modified over time in order to reflect the changing socio-religious landscape and\/or to accommodate the infusion of new rituals from other cultures, it has, nevertheless, remained close to every Iranian heart, and as a result will remain for millennia to come. Norooz further celebrates the inspirational and aspirational commonality of humanity as a whole, irrespective of race, creed, national origin religion, and ethnicity.<\/p>\n

No one has been more eloquent than\u00a0Sa\u2019adi<\/strong>, the 13th<\/sup>\u00a0century Persian poet, whose major poem from his vast two-volume treatise \u00abGolestan<\/em><\/strong>\u201d\u00a0and \u00abBoostan\u201d,<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0is immortalized on the entrance arch of the\u00a0United Nations<\/strong>\u00a0Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, as follows:<\/p>\n

Humans are all members of one frame,
\nSince all, at first, from the same essence came;<\/em><\/p>\n

When by hard fortune one limb is oppressed,
\nThe other members lose their desired rest;<\/em><\/p>\n

If thou feel\u2019st not for others\u2019 misery,
\nA human being is no name for thee<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

David N. Rahni \u2014\u00a0 Persian Heritage, #111, Spring 2024 \u2014\u00a0 Norooz,\u00a0commemorating the New Year, has been celebrated in\u00a0Iran,\u00a0formerly\u00a0Persia,\u00a0throughout nearly three millennia of its recorded history. Norooz begins at the\u00a0vernal equinox, the first day of spring season, a day of rejuvenation and reconciliation, and, reinvigorations and rebirth. Norooz\u2019s arrival is symbolized in nature by the sprouting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-117966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-phart"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.2","language":"en","enabled_languages":["fa","en"],"languages":{"fa":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"en":{"title":false,"content":false,"excerpt":false}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117966"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117966\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":117968,"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117966\/revisions\/117968"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}