Nowrūz Persian نوروز / Kurdish نهورۆز / Turkish Nevruz; with various local pronunciations and spellings, meaning 'New Day') is the traditional new year holiday celebrated byIranian peoples, having its roots in Ancient Iran. Apart from the Iranian cultural continent(Greater Iran), the celebration has spread in many other parts of the world, including parts of Central Asia, South Asia, Northwestern China, the Crimea, and some ethnic groups inAlbania, Bosnia, Kosovo and the Republic of Macedonia.
Nowruz marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the Iranian year and is a secular holiday. It is celebrated on the day of the astronomical vernal equinox, which usually occurs on March 21 or the previous/following day depending on where it is observed. As well as being a Zoroastrian holiday and having significance amongst the Zoroastrian ancestors of modern Iranians. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the Jewish festival of Purim, is probably adopted from the Persian New Year. [1] It is also a holy day for Ismailis, Alawites,[2] Alevis, and adherents of the Bahá'í Faith.[3]
The term Nowruz first appeared in Persian records in the second century AD, but it was also an important day during the time of the Achaemenids (c. 648-330 BC), where kings from different nations under the Persian empire used to bring gifts to the emperor (Shahanshah) of Persia on Nowruz.[4] Full ARTICLE
Nowruz
Peter Lott Heppner
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