Nowruz (Persian New Year) Countdown

Nowruz, meaning 'new day', is the traditional new year of the spring equinox, celebrated around March 20–21. Known in English as the Persian New Year, it is equally cherished by Kurdish, Afghan, Azerbaijani, Central Asian, Caucasian and Baháʼí communities across a vast region and worldwide.

History

Nowruz is one of the world's oldest continuously celebrated festivals, with roots reaching back more than three thousand years to ancient Persia and the Zoroastrian tradition. Timed to the exact moment of the spring equinox, when day and night stand equal and the new astronomical year begins, it marks the rebirth of nature after winter. Over the centuries it spread far beyond its origins, carried along the Silk Road and adopted by many peoples, each weaving the festival into their own language and customs. Today Nowruz is observed across a vast region — Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia, the Caucasus, parts of the Middle East, South Asia and beyond. It is the new year for Iranians and Afghans, is celebrated as Newroz by Kurdish communities, as Novruz in Azerbaijan and as Nauryz in Kazakhstan, and opens the year in the Baháʼí calendar as Naw-Rúz. UNESCO inscribed Nowruz on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009, an inscription later extended to twelve countries, and in 2010 the United Nations recognised 21 March as the International Day of Nowruz, acknowledging its role as a shared celebration of spring and renewal. Preparations begin weeks ahead with spring cleaning (khaneh-tekani) and the setting of the symbolic haft-sin table.

Meaning

Nowruz celebrates renewal in the fullest sense — the turning of the season, the fresh start of a new year, and the mending of relationships. Families clean their homes, wear new clothes, visit elders and forgive old grievances, entering the year with a clean slate and open heart. At its centre is a love of nature and life. The haft-sin table, laid with seven symbolic items, and the greenery of sprouted seeds (sabzeh) express hopes for health, prosperity and growth in the year to come.