21st March: UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL DAY: NAVROZE: By Aban

21st March the United Nations’ (UN) International Day of Nowruz🌹❤ : (This post is by Aban Mignonne Chinoy)

International Nowruz Day is a global observance and a public holiday in several countries, its observance dates back to an ancient Zoroastrian tradition..On 30th September 2009, Nowruz was included in the UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage..

In Iran, Nowruz is an official holiday lasting for 13 days, it occurs on or around the time of the vernal spring equinox..Though its origin being the Persian /Iranian New Year, almost 300 million people worldwide celebrate the start of this spring festival with traditions and rituals particularly strong in the Balkans, the Black Sea and Caspian Sea regions, the Caucasus, Central and South Asia and the Middle East..

The word ‘Nowruz’ has its origins in the Zoroastrian Avesthan scriptures and it means ‘New Day’ though it is spelt in various ways across different nations (Norouz, Navroze, Norooz, Nawruz, Nauruz, Nauryz ) since this ancient festivity is observed by various diverse ethno – linguistic groups..

Nowruz has been celebrated for more than 3,000 years in Iran and could actually date back to being 5,000 years old..Nowruz is celebrated in Iran and in the extended cultural area known as Greater Iran that was once part of the mighty Persian Empires and is also celebrated in places where people from Iran and Greater Iran had later settled..

It is believed that King Jamshid of the Pishdadian Era was the first person to have started observing this festivity and it was on Nowruz day that he had ascended his throne with the blessings of Ahura Mazda..The oldest evidence of Nowruz celebration is from the Achaemenid period over 2,500 years ago..

Nowruz is an ancestral festival marking the first day of spring and the renewal of nature, it promotes peace and solidarity particularly in families, also focusing on reconciliation and neighbourliness, contributing to cultural diversity and friendship amongst different communities..

A couple of weeks before Nowruz, people start sprouting lentils, mung beans, wheat or barley seeds and by Nowruz these Sabzeh shoots will be many inches long to symbolise regrowth and rejuvenation..Decorating eggs is also a traditional part of the celebration, the eggs symbolising humans and fertility..House cleaning(Khaneh Tekani) and buying new clothes is also part of the preparations..

On Nowruz day, the Zoroastrian people visit fire temples to offer prayers..All celebrating families gather at the Haft Sheen / Haft Seen tables set up with special traditional Nowruz food and items symbolic of the festivity as well as that of the respective family’s values and beliefs..The seven pieces of decoration for the Sofreh / Persian table top symbolise the Zoroastrian virtues of regrowth, prosperity, love, health, beauty, sunrise and patience..These constitute the seven wishes for the new year and symbolise the seven holy immortals i.e., the Amesha Spentas..The family members wait around the Nowruz table for the exact beginning of Nowruz – the spring equinox when the sun is directly over the equator and both the hemispheres receive equal amounts of light..

Spring festival foods such as ‘Sabzi polo va mahi’ / herbed rice with fresh fish and ‘Kuku Sabzi’ / a dish of spinach and herbs with eggs feature prominently in Nowruz dishes..On the 13th day of the New Year (Sizdah Bedar) parks and gardens are filled with families to spend the day outdoors for bringing in good luck and the sabzeh is placed into water bodies such as streams, ponds and rivers..

This year, Nowruz is on 20th March, Nowruz Greetings to all🌹❤This post is by Aban Mignonne Chinoy..