Hi everyone, today I want to give you some information about Nowruz, the Persian new year.
My name is Mastaneh and you are watching Mastan Travel.
Nowruz is the name of the Persian New Year and marks the First day of Spring.
It has been celebrated for more than 3000 years not only in Iran, but in other countries as well.
Celebrating Nowruz has become so widespread that in 2010, United Nation’s General Assembly recognized the International Day of Nowruz.
Canadian Parliament also added Nowruz to the national calendar of Canada in 2009.
So what does Nowruz mean? The word “Nowruz” is a Persian compound word
and is made of two words: “No”, meaning "New" [pause] and Ruz , meaning "Day". Nowruz, therefore means a “New Day” has begun.
Since it happens on the first day of Spring, Nowruz is associated with the rebirth of nature.
Interestingly, despite its popularity around the world, there is little agreement on the correct
spelling of Nowruz and numerous variations exist!
spelling of no rules and numerous variations exist
Iranians usually start preparing for Nowruz a couple of weeks in advance by shopping for food, gifts and new clothes.
Many spend days and days cleaning every corner of their home before the beginning of the new year.
This tradition is called Khooneh Tekouni, which literally means “Shaking the House”.
Close to Nowruz, you might see men dressed in red, with faces covered in soot on the streets.
Called Haji Firuz, these men are the heralds of Nowruz.
They sing and dance and deliver the news that Nowruz is coming.
Haji Firooz is the sidekick of Uncle Nowuz, the equivalent of Santa Claus in the Persian culture.
Uncle Nowruz is an old man with white beard, who brings gifts and good luck to people.
One of the most important events before the arrival of Nowruz is the festival of fire called Chaharshanbe Suri.
It is celebrated on the eve of the last Wednesday before Nowruz.
Chaharshanbe Suri means The Scarlet Wednesday, due to the reddish color of fire.
On this day, around sunset, people make bonfires in an open space outside.
Then they jump over the flames, as a purification practice.
While jumping over the fire, they also sing a phrase and ask the fire
to take away any unpleasant things and to replace them with its warmth and energy.
In recent years, fireworks have also started playing a much bigger role in the Chaharshaneb suri’s celebrations.
Chaharshanbe suri, also has a custom very Similar to the trick-or-treating of Halloween.
It is called Ghashogh-zani which literally means "spoon-banging".
Young people wear disguises and go door-to-door,
they hit spoons against plates or bowls, making noise to gain attention and get some snacks.
The most prominent symbol of Nowruz is called the Haft Seen table.
Haft Seen, means " The Seven things that start with the letter S " in Persian.
It has seven items each representing an important symbol:
Perhaps the most important symbol is Sabzeh, which is wheat or lentil sprouts grown in a dish.
It is a Symbol of rebirth and growth.
Sib (or Apple) is a Symbol of Beauty
Sir (or Garlic) is a Symbol of Health
Serkeh (or Vinegar) is a Symbol of Patience.
Sumac is the Symbol of Sunrise.
Senjed , or silver berry is the Symbol of Love
And finally, Samanu, kind of a sweet pudding is the Symbol of Power and Strength.
A Haft Seen table usually includes a book of wisdom such as a holy or a well-known poetry book,
a mirror as the symbol of self-reflection,
coin as the symbol of wealth
decorated egg as the symbol of fertility and lit candles as the symbol of enlightenment
People put extra care to decorate the Haft Seen table as elegantly as
they can. Usually the Haft Seen table is colorful and beautifully designed.
The celebration of Nowruz starts exactly at the time of the Spring equinox, or the first
day of Spring, and is usually on March 20th or March 21st.
This is the time of the year that the sunlight is evenly divided between the northern and southern hemispheres.
Traditionally, celebrations start at the exact time that Nowruz arrives.
It doesn’t matter if it is at midnight, at 2 p.m. in the afternoon or at 3 a.m. in the morning!
People dress up in their new clothes and gather around the Haft Seen table waiting for the exact moment of Spring arrival.
People usually visit their closest elder family members such as parents and grandparents soon after the arrival of Nowruz.
It is also customary that the elders give a gift called Eidi to their guests.This gift is usually in the form of paper money.
On the first day of Nowruz, it is also tradition to have Sabzi Polo or herbed rice with fried fish.
Nowruz celebrations last for 12 days. In many places, schools and offices are closed during this period
and visiting friends and family is the main activity.
The 13th day after Nowruz is generally regarded as a bad luck day.
To avoid the bad luck associated with the number 13, people usually go outdoors for a picnic.
This day is called "Sizdah Bedar", which means “get rid of the 13th Day”.
Traditionally, on Sizdeh bedar, people Knot the stems of the greens .
At the same time, they make a wish that their problems are solved.
Many young girls, specifically, express their wish to find their love before the next year's Sizdah Bedar!
It is common to play pranks on the Sizdah Bedar, which is very similar to the April Fools' Day and interestingly it happens around the same date.
which is very similar to the april fool's day and interestingly it happens around the same date
Happy Nowruz everyone! I hope you have enjoyed this video!
Please share it with your friends so that they also know about Nowruz.
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