Nowruz

Nowruz (, meaning "[The] New Day", ; ) is the Iranian term for the New Year celebrated by the Iranian peoples. It is one of the most ancient celebrations which has survived throughout history and is considered to be a day in which new good things start. It is rooted in the ancient Iranian religion of Zoroastrianism.

Nowruz is the day of the spring equinox, when the amount of light and dark is the same during the day. It is the beginning of the year in the Persian calendar. It is usually celebrated on March 21.On September 30, 2009, UNESCO registered Nowruz as an intangible cultural heritage under the official name "International Nowruz Day". The UN General Assembly then listed Nowruz, which has roots in Iran, on its calendar. A document approved by the United Nations General Assembly on February 23, 2010 explains that Nowruz on March 21 originated in Iran more than 3,000 years ago and is celebrated by more than 300 million people today. There is. UN member states celebrated Knowles in 1391 (2012) for the first time in Iran-sponsored UN and UNESCO public places, and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also sent a message to the celebration .

Background
Nowruz has been celebrated by people from different ethnic communities and religious backgrounds for thousands of years. It started in Persia in one of the capitals of the Achaemenid Empire in Persis (Fars). It has been registered by UNESCO as The "International Day of Nowruz" a cultural and spiritual heritage of mankind on October 29, 2009. UN General Assembly also registered Nowruz as an Iranian heritage in its calendar. UN General Assembly described it as a festival celebrated for more than 3,000 years. Nowadays more than 300 million people celebrate it all over the world. UN document explained on March 23rd 2010.
Iran hosted celebrating Nowruz in the United Nations and UNESCO for the first time in 2012. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also issued a message on the occasion.
According to the book Documents on the Persian Gulf's name, Nowruz was originated in ancient Persia. This celebration is attributed to the mythical king Jamshid. Iranians celebrated Nowruz continuously at least since 500 BC. Historically the ethnics residing in geographical civilization of PERSIA have celebrated changing of the seasons or solar rotations, the equinoxes (March ( 21st) and September (about 23rd) and the solstices in June (20th or 21st) and December (21st or 22nd). they in fact were honoring and welcoming sun developments and return of spirit of the dead in this special days.
There are indications that Iranians may have observed the beginning of both autumn and spring, respectively related to the harvest and the sowing of seeds, for the celebration of the New Year.
The March equinox or Nowruz is formally the beginning of the new year in Iran and Afghanistan and Nowruz festivities last for 13 days, starting on the last Wednesday of the end of year. It is a national holiday in several countries, including Azerbaijan, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Georgia, and Uzbekistan.

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Category:Persian culture
Category:Religious holidays
Category:New Year
Category:March observances