Iranian New Year, NowRuz, is March 21

By Sabrina Ousrnaal-Moin

Just as on Jan. 1, 1993, Americans celebrated the beginning of a new year, and on Jan. 20, the beginning of a new presidency, on March 21st, Iranians will celebrate NowRuz Farsi for New Year.

For people everywhere the new year represents a new beginning, a rebirth of hopes for a better future. But few people celebrate the new year with so many tangible symbols of faith, hope and renewal as do the Iranians. Although the year is taken from the Islamic calendar, the manner in which Iranians celebrate what the West knows as the first day of spring makes it clear that the Iranian symbolism goes back to pre-Islamic times when most Iranians were adherents of Zoroastrianism, the old Persian religion of good and evil, end and rebirth. Few Zoroastrians remain in Iran, but the beliefs are kept alive by the Parsee communities of the Indian subcontinent.

For Iranians all over the world preparations begin a few weeks before March 21st. Each house is thoroughly cleaned to wash away the evil spirits. A traditional cloth is hung. Women sew new clothes for their family to wear during the ceremonies.

On the last Wednesday before NowRuz, bonfires are lit. Costumed children jump over the fires, shouting their hopes for the new year. Their problems of the past year are left behind in the flames. The American holiday that compares most closely with this and other aspects of NowRuz would be Halloween.

On NowRuz eve, dancers and singers parade through the streets, headed by the traditional black clown, Hadji Firuz. Instead of decorating Christmas trees with garlands of lights, Iranians decorate a table with seven items beginning with an "s." First is the traditional table cloth, called soireh. On the table are sabze, wheat germs, which have been planted a few weeks before the celebration. They, along with sarnanu, a sweet pudding, symbolize rebirth. Sib, apple, represents health and beauty. Senjed, the fruit from the lotus tree, symbolizes love. Seer, garlic, also finds its place on the table as the representation of medicine. The red color of somaq, a Persian spice which comes from berries, stands for the sunrise of a new day. Finally, serkeh, or vinegar, is for patience. The vinegar, along with a copy of the Qu'ran and a book of poems by the celebrated Iranian poet Hafez, also represents wisdom accumulated over the centuries.

In addition to those seven items, Iranians also display a mirror for one's innermost reflections; coins symbolizing wealth and fortune; a goldfish symbolizing life at the end of the astral year and the beginning of a new one; eggs for fertility; an orange in a bowl of water as an image of the earth rotating on itself; a few drops of rose water to cleanse the body of evil spirits; a hyacinth as the symbol of spring; and candles for enlightenment.

As the new year approaches, family and guests gather around the table and chant traditional poems. The table remains set this way for 12 days. On the 13th day, families conclude their commemoration of NowRuz at a picnic by throwing seeds in rivers as they enjoy the traditional new year foods.

This celebration, rich in symbolism and beauty, provides an opportunity for people everywhere to wish their Iranian friends a happy new year. It is a heartfelt wish which the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs extends to all of its Iranian readers.