Nearly hundreds of millions of people around the globe have observed Nowruz. A festivity that marks the Persian New Year and the proper beginning of spring.
Nowruz begins at the spring equinox when the sun crosses the equator and day and night are of equal length. The rituals practised on the day of Nowruz are an olio of both Eastern and Western cultures.
It is a significant festival in Iran, Afghanistan, the Kurdish region of Iraq and Turkey, and Parsis in India. Moreover, diaspora communities around the globe celebrate it as well.
This year which in the Persian calendar is 1400, celebrations had to take place amid the COVID pandemic restrictions.
In a COVID ward in Firoozabadi hospital in Tehran, healthcare workers celebrated Nowruz with their patients. By setting up a ritual table covered with emblematic food items.
Traditionally in Iran, people paint a Nowruz table with, among other things- goldfish, candles, wheatgrass, and mirrors.
Over 300 million people worldwide celebrate the festival. The most important part of the Nowruz celebration is having HAft Senn (Seven S). A table is set up with seven items whose name start with the alphabet ‘S’. However, the ritual might vary from region to region.
The festival of Nowruz can be celebrated any day between the 19th of March to the 22nd of March. Additionally, on the 21st of March every year, International Nowruz Day is observed.
