Nowruz

The Iranian New Year

MARCH 20, 2013

07:01 a.m. EST 06:01 a.m. CST

05:01 a.m. MST 04:01 a.m. PST

© PAAIA 2013

Where is IRAN?

• Historically known as Persia.

• Located in Southwestern Asia.

• Borders, by land, the countries of Afghanistan, Armenia,

Azerbaijan, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, and Turkeministan and by

water, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the

United Arab Emirates (UAE).

• You cross the Atlantic Ocean, fly over Europe, and arrive in

IRAN.

• It is about 650,000 square miles (1.65 million sq km) – the

same size as Alaska.

• There are over 75 million diverse people living in IRAN.

© PAAIA 2013

Here is where we are

Here is Iran

Let’s find IRAN on the map!

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How old is IRAN?

• The earliest human presence, the inventors of spears, in the

Zagros Mountains of IRAN, date back to 35,000 years ago.

• The earliest human settlements in IRAN are dated back to

over 10,000 years ago.

• IRAN has sustained a form of government and a written

history for the past 5,000 years.

• Under Cyrus the Great, (around 530 BCE or some 2,500

years ago), IRAN was the largest world empire stretching

from India to Africa to Europe.

– Today the same area is comprised of 28 countries.

© PAAIA 2013

Historical contributions/discoveries of Iranians

• First charter of human rights

• Algebra, Trigonometry, and Algorithm

• First teaching hospitals in the world

• First postal couriers

• Games of Chess, Backgammon, and Polo and the musical

instrument, the lute

• First banking and taxation system

• First bottles of wine, bowls of ice cream, and refrigerators

were found in ancient IRAN (Persia)

• Many flowers (such as tulips, roses, pussy willows, and herbal

species) and fruits (such as grapes, figs, dates,

pomegranates, rice and wheat) were first domesticated in

IRAN

© PAAIA 2013

What does IRAN look like?

IRAN has sovereignty over the

southern part of the largest

enclosed body of water in the

world, called the

CASPIAN SEA.

IRAN has beautiful mountains.

The tallest is the DAMAVAND MOUNTAIN

(over 5 km above sea level).

Spectacularly

Breath-taking!

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IRAN has beautiful RICE FIELDS.

IRAN has one of the

hottest and largest

deserts in the world –

DASHT-E-LUT.

IRAN is home to the Persian Gulf.

© PAAIA 2013

IRAN has four contrasting seasons…

Fall Winter

Summer Spring

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• IRAN has the only calendar that aligns with the seasons.

• It is one of the only countries that has consistently used a

purely solar-based calendar.

• Nowruz is a major annual celebration from a group of four

seasonal celebrations:

• Spring: Nowruz

• Summer: Tirgan

• Fall: Mehregan

• Winter: Yalda

© PAAIA 2013

IRAN also has beautiful monuments and buildings….

Persepolis (Shiraz) Mosques (Esfahan)

Massouleh (Rasht) Bridges (Esfahan)

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IRAN was the first country to build arches in its buildings.

Masjed-e-Shah Mosque (Isfahan)

Tarikh Khaneh (Damghan)

Ivan-e Kasra (near ancient town

of Ctesiphon)

© PAAIA 2013

What is the official language of IRAN?

People in Iran speak Persian. It is written like this:

فارسی

Let’s try some words in Persian:

– Hello - SALAM or DOROUD

– Are you well? – KHOOBI or CHETORI?

– Thank you! – MERSI or SEPAS

– What is your name? – NAMAT CHEEST?

– Bye – KHODA-HAFEZ or BEDROUD

© PAAIA 2013

What is Nowruz?

• Nowruz, literally, means the “new day” of the New Year in IRAN and many of its surrounding neighbors.

• It has been celebrated for thousands of years.

• Just like we begin a new year on January 1st of every year, Iranians begin the new year on the first day of spring or

• THE VERNAL (SPRING) EQUINOX.

• Usually this day falls on or about March 20th.

• This year, vernal equinox and Nowruz happen on Wednesday, March 20th.

• The celebration begins on this day and lasts for almost two weeks ending on Sizdah Bedar (April’s Fools Day).

© PAAIA 2013

Where do they celebrate Nowruz?

• Nowruz is not unique to Iran.

• It is also celebrated in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Iraq, Turkish

Kurdistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkmenistan,Uzbekistan,

Kashmir, Kyrgyzstan, Western China, and some parts of the

southern Persian Gulf states.

• It is also recognized as a day of celebration by the United

Nations, the United States, and Canada.

© PAAIA 2013

Shabeh Charshanbeh Soori

• Prelude to Nowruz, Charshanbeh Souri is

celebrated on the last Tuesday evening

(eve of Wednesday) of the year.

• Charshanbeh = Wednesday

• Soor = Celebration or feast around fire

• People make bonfires and jump over them,

saying: “my sickly yellow paleness is yours.

Your fiery red color is mine!”

• It means you want the fire to take your

paleness, sickness & problems and give

you its redness, warmth, and energy.

• Food, such as nuts and pastries (ajill) and

refreshments are served.

© PAAIA 2013

Getting ready for Nowruz….

• Families clean their homes from top

to bottom, in and out.

• Children and adults buy new clothes

and shoes.

• Families plan on visiting each other,

especially paying tribute to the

elders.

• Families set a Nowruz Table, called

Sofreh Haft-Sin.

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The Nowruz Table: “ Sofreh Haft Seen”

• The family sets the table together.

• The colorful table includes seven natural organic items whose

names begin with the letter S (seen) in Persian.

• In Persian, it’s called HAFT SEEN (Seven S’s).

• Each “Seen” symbolizes a yearning (something you wish for).

• There are also other items on the table that don’t begin with

the letter S but have a special meaning.

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Apple or SEEB

(beauty or health)

Garlic or SEER

(medicine)

A spice called SUMAC

(beauty or health)

Dried fruit of oleaster (wild olive) tree

or SENJED (beauty or health)

The Seven “S” of the Haft-Seen Table

© PAAIA 2013

Hyacinth or SONBOL

(nature)

Vinegar or SERKEH

(age & patience)

Wheat or barley sprout or SABZEH

(nature)

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Other things included on the Haft-Seen

Coins or SEKKEH

(wealth) Holy book or book of poetry

(faith)

Mirror

(cleanliness & honesty)

Goldfish

(life within life)

Eggs

(fertility)

Lit candles

(enlightenment & happiness)

© PAAIA 2013

Traditional Iranian pastries

(sweetness)

Iran’s national colors

(patriotism)

Rosewater or GOLAB

(believed to have magical cleansing powers)

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Here is a picture of a Haft-Seen table

© PAAIA 2013

What Happens During Nowruz?

• Families gather around the Haft-Seen table and countdown to

the New Year.

• They hug and wish each other a good year

• They recite poetry from the traditional poetry books.

• They eat sweets.

• They spend the day visiting family and friends, beginning with

the elders who give the younger family members freshly

minted currency.

© PAAIA 2013

Sizdah Bedar

• Sizdah Bedar usually occurs around April Fool’s Day!

• Sizdah = 13 in Persian (considered not to be a lucky number)

• Bedar = sending / giving away or going outside

• On 13th day of the New Year, families go on a picnic outdoor

in the orchards, hillsides, or by the lakes or rivers. They eat

and drink, play games and sing songs.

• Sabzeh, the green sprout from the Haft Seen table, is thrown

into flowing water for continuity of good life wishes.

© PAAIA 2013

HAPPY NEW YEAR! (SALEH- NO MOBARAK)

NOROOZETAN PEEROZ! نوروز پیروز•