page_title: Nowruz
section_title: Locality
hierarchical_section_title: Nowruz / Locality
caption_attribution_description: English: Traditional costume for Nauryz, Kazakhstan. Singer and players of dombra. Français&#160;: Costume traditionnel pour Norouz, Kazakhstan. Chanteuse, joueur et joueuses de dombra.
context_page_description: Nowruz is the Iranian New Year, also known as the Persian New Year, which is celebrated worldwide by various ethno-linguistic groups.
  Nowruz has Iranian and Zoroastrian origins; however, it has been celebrated by diverse communities for over 7,000 years in Western Asia, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Black Sea Basin, the Balkans, and South Asia. It is a secular holiday for most celebrants that is enjoyed by people of several different faiths, but remains a holy day for Zoroastrians, Bahais, and some Muslim communities.
  Nowruz is the day of the vernal equinox, and marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. It marks the first day of the first month of the Iranian calendars. It usually occurs on March 21 or the previous or following day, depending on where it is observed. The moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator and equalizes night and day is calculated exactly every year, and families gather together to observe the rituals.
context_section_description: The festival of Nowruz is celebrated by many groups of people in the Black Sea basin, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Western Asia, central and southern Asia, and by Iranians worldwide.
  Places where Nowruz is a public holiday include:
  Afghanistan
  Albania
  Azerbaijan (five days)
  Georgia
  Iran (thirteen days)
  Iraqi Kurdistan
  Kazakhstan (four days)
  Kosovo
  Kyrgyzstan
  Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia
  Tajikistan (four days)
  Turkmenistan (two days)
  Uzbekistan
  The Parliament of Canada, on March 30, 2009, by unanimous consent, passed a bill to add Nowruz to the national calendar of Canada.
  Nowruz is celebrated by Kurdish people in Iraq and Turkey, as well as by the Iranis, Shias and Parsis in the Indian subcontinent and diaspora.
  Nowruz is also celebrated by Iranian communities the Americas and in Europe, including Los Angeles, Phoenix, Toronto, Cologne and London. In Phoenix, Arizona, Nowruz is celebrated at the Persian New Year Festival. But because Los Angeles is prone to devastating fires, there are very strict fire codes in the city. Usually, Iranians living in Southern California go to the beaches to celebrate the event where it is permissible to build fires. On March 15, 2010, the House of Representatives of the United States passed the Nowruz Resolution (H.Res. 267), by a 384–2 vote, "Recognizing the cultural and historical significance of Nowruz, ... ."
caption: Traditional costume for Nawrız in Kazakhstan.
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