Spring is nearly upon us. It is a season of renewal for nature, characterized by blooming trees and flowering bushes.

The spring equinox is the first day in the Persian calendar, known as Nowruz. The new year is celebrated at the exact moment of the vernal equinox, which in the US Eastern Time Zone will occur at 11:06 p.m., March 19, 2024. Nowruz sets off celebrations for more than 300 million people all around the world and has been observed for more than 3,000 years.

We sat down with SIS professor Shadi Mokhtari, CAS professor Zohreh Mirsharif, and Barzani Scholar-in-Residence at SIS Yerevan Saeed to learn more about Nowruz. A Newroz celebration hosted by the Global Kurdish Initiative for Peace will be held on AU’s campus at 4:30 p.m, April 1, in the SIS Founders Room.

Note: The spelling of Nowruz varies by country. It can be spelled correctly in numerous different ways, including Nawrouz, Novruz, Navruz, Nooruz, Nevruz, and Newroz.

1. Nowruz is celebrated by several ethnic groups.

Nowruz is celebrated and observed by various ethnic groups across Central Asia, the Middle East, and the Balkans, including Iranian, Pakistani, Afghan, Turkish, Tajik, and Kurdish communities.

Nowruz—which translates to “new day”—aligns with the first day of spring, a time that reflects the “renewal and rebirth of nature,” explained CAS professor Zohreh Mirsharif. As such, Nowruz is recognized as a time to celebrate the new year and the season of renewal.

For most Iranians, Nowruz is the “most significant holiday” and has become “the national holiday that pretty much everyone celebrates” in Iran, said SIS professor Shadi Mokharti.

“Nowruz has a lot of symbolism around renewal—renewal of nature, renewal of relationships,” Mokhtari explained. “It is usually the highlight of the year for most Iranians.”

The celebration holds similar significance for Kurdish populations globally, according to Yerevan Saeed, SIS’s Barzani Scholar-in-Residence.  

“Nowruz serves as the biggest gravity force that brings Kurds together,” Saeed said. “It’s the biggest national celebration that brings everyone together regardless of their political, cultural, and dialectal differences. Kurds—no matter where they are—agree that Nowruz is the national celebration.”

2. For Kurds, there is an ancient legend behind the origin of Nowruz.

Nowruz has roots in Zoroastrianism, which was founded in Persia in the sixth century BCE. The Persian calendar, known as the Solar Hijri calendar, is a solar calendar that is based on Earth’s movements around the Sun. Nowruz is the first day of the year on the Persian calendar.

Saeed explained that Nowruz’s origin is “subject to interpretation” and can be different from “one ethnic group to another, and one culture to another.” For Kurdish communities, Nowruz represents the “emancipation of the Kurds from tyranny,” Saeed explained.

The Kurds have a book known as the “Book of Kings,” which details the legend of an ancient king who led an attack against Persia. According to the legend, the king had two snakes around his shoulders, which he fed each day with the brains of two young men.

“Two young people were killed every day because otherwise, the snakes would bother the king, and he would become angry,” Mirsharif said of the legend.

The legend says that to save lives, the people began providing the snake with one human brain and the brain of an animal each day. The survivors who were not sacrificed to the king would be sent to the other side of the Zagros Mountains, which is located in northern Iraq and southeastern Turkey. The Kurds consider this area part of a modern-day Kurdistan.

The legend explains that those who were spared and sent around the mountain eventually rose up and revolted against the king and ended the tyranny.

“This is why for Kurds, Nowruz also means emancipation, freedom, and the end of oppression,” Saeed said. “Even though this is a millennia-old legend, it is still really true for today given the fact that the Kurds don’t have their own state.”  

3. Nowruz celebrations include the setting of a ceremonial table.

Nowruz celebrations are typically marked by family gatherings and the setting of a ceremonial table in each home called a haftseen. In Iran, the table is decorated with seven symbolic items that begin with the letter “s” in the Persian language, which includes things like apples, sprouts, vinegar, sweet pudding, garlic, hyacinth plants, and coins, according to Mirsharif and Mokharti. Some families also place goldfish on the table to symbolize life.

The setting of the haftseen can differ based on regional and cultural differences. For example, in Afghanistan, seven fruits are typically chosen for the table, Mirsharif explained.

Religion can also play a role in how the table is set. Religious Iranians may place the Quran on the table, while more “secular Iranians” might place a book of poetry by the Persian lyricist Hafez on the table, said Mokharti.

In many celebrations, the ceremonial table is the central gathering point for families at the exact moment of Nowruz, which is when the season turns to spring based on the vernal equinox.

4. Fire plays a central role in Nowruz celebrations.

As part of bidding goodbye to the harsh winter and welcoming spring, Nowruz celebrations often include fire. On the Wednesday before Nowruz, it is tradition to set small fires on the ground that are meant to be jumped over.

“We ask the fire to give us his warmth and to keep away our sickness,” Mirsharif explained. “This is what we chant as we are jumping over the fire.”

Akre, a city located in Northern Iraq, is well known for its Nowruz celebrations by Kurdish populations in which fire plays a slightly different role. Gatherings in Akre usually include a torch-lit procession up a mountain in an act that symbolizes “unity,” Saeed said.

“The fire is a symbol of unity and a symbol of survival despite the suppression and genocide [of Kurds] in the past,” Saeed said.

5. The celebration of Nowruz is a holiday that lasts about two weeks.

In many regions, Nowruz is characterized by two weeks of celebration. During these two weeks, children are usually off school, and the holiday is recognized by governments and businesses.

During these two weeks, people spend time visiting family and neighbors and giving gifts. On the thirteenth day of the holiday, many plan picnics and spend time outdoors.

“A lot of Nowruz is about celebrating nature and renewal in nature,” Mokhtari said. “So, you have to spend the thirteenth day of the holiday outside, or it’s bad luck.”

It is also traditional in the weeks leading up to Nowruz to clean your entire home and make sure it is ready for the new year.

“All houses undergo a big cleaning,” Mirsharif said. “People will change the colors of the walls; they will wash everything. This is the new beginning.”