Nowruz

Nowruz, a festival marking the beginning of the new year in the Solar Hijri calendar, has recently arrived and concluded! Nowruz is celebrated globally by people from various countries and regions, including (but not limited to) Tajikistan, Iran, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Iraqi Kurdistan, Albania, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. It is also celebrated by a wide array of AMEMSA-identifying diaspora communities. Since 2016, Nowruz has been recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The first day of Nowruz always coincides with the spring equinox (on the 21st of March). The word Nowruz is a combination of the Persian words for “new” and “day”; in a sense, spring equinox is like a new chapter in life. Nowruz has origins in Zoroastrianism, a religion once widely practiced in West Asia and Central Asia, but is today most commonly celebrated as a secular festival. However, it also remains a holy day for many religious communities (including Zoroastrians and Shia Muslims).

As an overture to the new year of the Solar Hijri calendar, Chaharshanbe Suri is celebrated in many regions of Iran. During Chaharshanbe Suri, city streets, beaches, and parks abound with bonfires; people leap over them while singing the Parnassian phrase sorkhi to az man, zardi man az to, which approximately translates to "your redness is mine, my yellowness is yours". Essentially, festivalgoers ask the fire to take their illnesses and negative energy and replace it with health, happiness, and positive energy. Some regions of Iran, such as Khorasan, also have a spoon-banging tradition similar to trick-or-treating, where people (wearing fabric costumes) go from door to door and bang spoons against plates and bowls in exchange for candy and snacks. Fortune telling from a jar is also a Chaharshanbe Suri tradition in many regions of Iran, which usually involves the Divan of legendary Persian poet Hafez. During Nowruz, all members of a household gather around a festive arrangement (known as the haft-seen) which contains 7 different items whose names start with the Persian letter seen. The most common items of the haft-seen are sabzeh (wheatgrass or bean sprouts), samanu (a sweet pudding made from wheat germ), senjed (oleasters), serkeh (vinegar), seeb (an apple), seer (garlic), and somaq (sumac). Sekke (coins) and sonbol (hyacinth) are also used by some families. To make the arrangement more elaborate, mirrors, confections, and a meaningful book (such as the Quran, Avesta, Shahnameh, or the Divan of Hafez) are often included. Most (but not all) Iranians celebrate Nowruz as a thirteen-day festival, with the last day being a ceremony full of outdoor exploration and picnicking, known as Sizdah Bedar. During the final day, the sabzeh of the haft-seen is discarded into a body of water after a large outdoor feast with family and friends. Another custom is for young singles to tie grass in knots, wishing for a partner (but sometimes for health or happiness instead). As a way to conclude the festival, fun pranks are also performed on family and friends (similar to April Fools’ Day).

In Azerbaijani tradition (which transcends many different borders), people begin preparing for Novruz a month prior. Each Tuesday is dedicated to one of the four classical elements — water, fire, wind, and earth (respectively). People clean their pads, purchase or create new clothing, garden extensively, decorate eggs with vivid hues, and bake traditional Novruz sweets (such as shekerbura, shorgoghal, and pakhlava). On the third Tuesday (symbolizing wind) of the month preceding Novruz, cemeteries are visited to venerate loved ones who have passed. Similar to some customs in Iran, Azerbaijani children knock on their neighbors’ doors, leave small baskets at their doorsteps, and hide nearby to wait for sweets and snacks) on Torpaq Çərşənbəsi (Earth Tuesday, the last Tuesday before Nowruz). Novruz is celebrated for five days in Azerbaijani tradition. On the night preceding Novruz, people sprinkle water on each other to get rid of all ordeals from the past year. During the festival of Novruz, all members of a household gather around a festive arrangement on a table (known as a khoncha), which includes samani (wheat sprouts) in the centre, surrounded by candles, painted eggs, and at least seven dishes.

In Afghanistan, the primary festival of Nauruz, Gul-i-Surkh, has been traditionally celebrated in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif (where red tulips flourish in the springtime) for the first 40 days of the Solar Hijri calendar. People from all over Afghanistan traditionally travel to Mazar-i-Sharif to participate in the festival; tournaments of a Central Asian sport known as buzkashi are usually held there and in other Afghan cities. At the Blue Mosque of Mazar-i-Sharif, a traditional ceremony known as Jahenda Bala is performed on the first day of the new year by raising a Derafsh Kaviani-esque banner (the Derafsh Kaviani is a widely-recognized ancient Persian royal standard). While Jahenda Bala is performed in Mazar-i-Sharif, during Jashn-e Dehqan (the Festival of Farmers), throngs of farmers and agricultural workers parade in Afghan cities to express their wishes for a bountiful harvest in the year. People also prepare a syrupy dish known as Haft Mewa (which translates in English as seven fruits); Haft Mewa is made from seven different dried fruits and nuts (raisins, oleasters, pistachios, hazelnuts, prunes, walnuts, and either almonds or dried plums) that are soaked in a special syrup. Similar to holiday customs in Iran, Tajikistan, and other places, samanak (a sweet pudding made from wheat germ) is often cooked just before Nauruz begins; people host lively party functions at night to celebrate the preparation of the samanak as a symbol of Nauruz’s arrival.

These are just a few of the many ways in which Nowruz is celebrated in many different AMEMSA-identifying communities. Nowruz is a magnificent time of celebration, where many AMEMSA-identifying people authentically express their identities through traditions and customs, even in the face of deadly repression. For instance, the courageous people of Afghanistan have still celebrated Nowruz, even while facing violence and harrowing threats from groups such as the Taliban daily. Today, Nowruz is not just a festive celebration — it is also a symbol of cultural resistance, a symbol of the right for someone to express themselves freely.