How Nowruz Is Celebrated Around The World

How Nowruz is Celebrated Around the World
Nowruz is an ancient festival marking the arrival of Spring that is celebrated in parts of
the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia, the Balkans, and East Africa. It dates back at
least 3,000 years, and it was adopted and spread by the ancient Persian religion of
Zoroastrianism, which the holiday is today often linked with. The Zoroastrian calendar
was based on the passage of seasons, and Nowruz – which means “New Day” in Persian
– is followed by the festival of Tirgan in summer, Mehregan in fall, and Yalda in winter.
Nowruz is a celebration of rebirth and renewal, of the end of winter and the flowering of
the Earth that warm weather portends.
In this article, we will be taking a tour of Nowruz around the world to see some of the
many ways its marked and the meanings it has taken on. We start by discussing the
history of Nowruz, before proceeding country by country: Iran, Azerbaijan,
Afghanistan, Central Asia, Kurdistan, the Balkans, and Turkey, and finally,
Tanzania.
Newroz festivities in the Iranian Kurdish town of Palangan. Source: Tehran Times.
Nowruz is often called the Persian New Year and is closely associated with Iran. But
Nowruz is marked across many different countries, including in Afghanistan and Central
and Southern Asia, among Kurds across the Middle East, and even in parts of the
Balkans and on the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar.
Even though Nowruz has ancient roots, the holiday has changed significantly over the
thousands of years that it has been celebrated. Different regions have preserved or
developed different traditions, and new ones have been added to the old ones. The
beautiful thing about Nowruz is that it has taken different shapes everywhere it has
reached, but it always marks the original message of rebirth and renewal.
The spread of Nowruz can be traced back to three primary historical factors. Firstly, the
ancient influence of Persian imperial culture across much of Central and Western Asia,
where Persian and Turkic communities have celebrated it for many centuries.
Secondly, Nowruz is linked to the adoption of Persian culture and poetry by medieval
Islamic empires, like the Ottomans and the Mughals, who spread the holiday to Turkey,
the Balkans, and South Asia. The Mughal court officially celebrated Nowruz in India,
while the Bektashi Sufi order, which was influential in the Ottoman realm, spread the
holiday into Southeastern Europe.
A mural shows Safavid Shah Tahmasp and Humayun celebrating together.

In the past, Nowruz was much more widespread than it is now; for example, the Islamic
Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties are believed to have celebrated in the Arab world. The
third factor in Nowruz’s spread is that migrants from Iran took the holiday with them as
they traveled, including to places like Zanzibar where it was eventually adopted by locals
as well.
Nowruz is also a religious holiday for many. In Zoroastrianism and the Baha’i Faith,
Nowruz is marked as the new year. For many Muslims as well, Nowruz is an important
day. The 6th Shia Imam, Imam Jaafar, is said to have encouraged the celebration of
Nowruz with remembrance of the divine. This tradition is taken seriously by many,
especially among Shia and Ismaili Muslims in India and Pakistan. Many Ismaili Muslims
celebrate by distributing rice and sugar and painting boiled eggs. Some Shia Muslims
observe the day as a fasting day.
For many, Nowruz is closely associated with Ali ibn Abu Talib, the first Shia imam and
the fourth Sunni caliph. It is marked with great festivities by Sunni and Shia Muslims in
Mazar-e-Sharif, where many believe he is buried. One famous story recount that a gift of
falooda, a sweet rose-flavored dessert, was sent to Imam Ali on Nowruz. When he found
out the reason for the gift, he announced: “May every day be Nowruz then!”
Nowruz is a secular holiday for some, a religious holiday for others, and something in
between for many more. Wherever it goes, Nowruz involves a lot of time spent with
family and a lot of time eating food, and it usually begins with spring cleaning to
welcome in the new year. Across many different countries, there are common foods,
especially a wheat paste called Samanu or Sumalak that is usually prepared in a large
oven together. There are also shared rituals like bonfires, as fire’s warmth is linked to life
and health.
Nowruz is not without its politics, either. In parts of the Soviet Union, the holiday was
banned for most of the 20th century, forcing millions to mark Nowruz underground.
And in Syria, Turkey, and Iraq, Newroz has been repeatedly banned by Arab nationalist
governments intent on suppressing Kurdish cultural expression, turning it into a
powerful symbol of Kurdish thirst for azadi, or freedom.
Throughout it all, Nowruz has persevered as a popular expression of rebirth, joy, and
love hinting at a shared Persianate cultural heritage deep below the surface across the
region.
Nowruz festivities in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Iran
Nowruz is a two-week long holiday in Iran, one of the most important celebrations of
the year. The Nowruz season begins on the last Tuesday before the New Year with
Chaharshanbe Suri, when Iranians jump over bonfires in the streets to mark the end of
the year. As Iranians leap over the fires, they chant “sorkhi-ye to az man, zardi-ye man az
to” (“let your redness be mine, let my yellowness be yours”) to represent their wishes for
good health (the redness, symbolizing warmth, and strength) in the year to come and
cleansing their bodies of sickness (the yellowness).
Historically Chaharshanbe Suri took place over the last three or four Wednesdays of the
year. Chaharshanbe Suri is accompanied by Qashogh Zani, when people go door to
door asking for gifts (often money or sweets) dressed in long chadors to cover their
identity.
In the days leading up to Nowruz, bazaars overflow with holiday gifts as well as the
seven elements that make up the traditional Nowruz spread that Iranians set up in their
homes, called a Haft Seen (“Seven S’s”). Each of these begins with the letter “seen” (i.e.
“s”), and they include: sabzeh (grass, for rebirth), senjed (dried fruit, for love) sib (apple,
for beauty and health), seer (garlic, for health), samanu (for wealth and fertility), serkeh
(vinegar, for wisdom that comes with age), and sumac (for the sunrise of a new day).
Many also add mirrors, goldfish, coins, and flowers to Haft Seen displays.
A typical Iranian Haft Seen spread.
Iranians spend Nowruz with family, and the traditional new year dinner is herbed white
fish with rice. The thick green Ash Reshte stew is also a common Nowruz dish, as well as
nokhodchi, a chickpea cookie. Many families also give out “eidi” to younger ones, a
money gift to mark the new year. This is also the time when performers appear in
blackface as Hajji Firuz, a traditional Nowruz character whose roots are linked to slavery,
make their appearance in streets across Iran.
The Nowruz holiday ends with Sizdebedar (“13th to the door”), the 13th day after
Nowruz when Iranians traditionally spend the day picnicking outside. In Iran, the
countryside fills up with families leaving their urban comforts behind and eating food,
smoking waterpipes, and dancing outside wherever they can find a space. Sizdebedar
gatherings among Iranians abroad, meanwhile, can attract to tens of thousands to parks
in cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Rastak- Sornaye Nowruz (Official Video) - )‫ رستاک (سرنای نوروز‬- YouTube

Iranian band Rastak performs a traditional Nowruz song.
Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia

Novruz is a major national party in Iran’s northern neighbor Azerbaijan, where it is
marked by huge bonfires across the country accompanied by music and dancing. For
days before, Azeris will collect firewood in preparation. As the bonfire winds down,
families and friends jump over it to burn all the bad things of the year past and to
welcome in the new year clean and fresh.
Novruz in Azerbaijan is all about the food. A typical Azeri Novruz dish may include a
heaping plate of rice pilav, dolma (grape leaves stuffed with lamb), and shekerbura, a
sweet pastry made with walnuts or almonds. Neighbors share their creations with each
other, and children go door to door singing folk songs and collecting sweets. Many
houses also put up displays of səməni, grass wrapped in a red bow that marks the arrival
of springtime. In the town of Qazax, one famous Novruz tradition involves crossdressing
and dancing in the streets.
Novruz is also significant for the Azeri community in neighboring Georgia as well, where
many perform traditional dances and young men ride horses through the streets.
Wrestling competitions also feature prominently. In neighboring Armenia, meanwhile,
many traditions similar to Nowruz are maintained in February during the Trndez holiday.
These include lighting bonfires and, on a separate holiday, throwing water at friends and
family, which was a common Nowruz festivity in Iran historically but today is less
common.
Afghanistan
Nawroz is widely marked across Afghanistan, most commonly with Haft Mewa (“Seven
Fruit”). Haft Mewa is a sweet dessert compote made from seven dried fruits and nuts,
usually red raisins, black raisins, yellow raisins, senjid (the fruit of the oleaster tree),
pistachio, dried apricot, and dried apple.
A Nawroz dinner in Afghanistan may include sabzi challow (spinach and rice) with
rooster or white fish. The holiday is marked with the recitation of Persian poetry as well
as plays on Nowruz themes, and in Afghanistan large games of bozkashi – polo played
with a stuffed goat’s head – are played for many to watch. The preparation of samanoo
is a must, and many women gather to help stir the sweet pudding – which must be
stirred constantly for many hours during the preparation – and sing folk songs.

In Mazar-e-Sharif, Nawroz is closely linked to the red tulip festival, as the countryside
fills with these beautiful red flowers and many enjoy picnicking around them. At the
city’s Blue Mosque, meanwhile, Nawroz is the time for a festive flag-raising over the
tomb where Imam Ali is believed to be buried.
Central Asia
In Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan, Nevroz or Nauryz is
a major public holiday. Navroz is also marked by Turkic and Persian communities in
western China, especially in Xinjiang province (also known as East Turkestan) which is a
cultural part of Central Asia.
In Tajikistan, Tajiks clean their homes fastidiously in anticipation of the holiday, which is
spent feasting with friends and wearing nice clothes. Public events often involve singing,
dancing, and wrestling, in addition to huge games of bozkashi, a traditional sport similar
to polo but using a lamb’s head. There is also a festive table called dastarkhon that is
decorated with seven items beginning with the letter “s”. Some Tajiks also prepare Haft
Mewa, as in Afghanistan.
In both Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, there is a tradition of filling empty vessels around the
home with water on the eve of Navroz to bring in the holiday. This is linked to wishes for
good health in the new year. Many light candles as well, demonstrating the importance
of both water and fire in new year celebrations.
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sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" data-recalc-dims="1" />Dancers in
Uzbekistan celebrate Nowruz.
In Kazakhstan, many cities erect dastorkhan in large traditional yurts, used by nomads
for centuries as they traveled across the land. Nauryz involves the Nauryz koshe, a
holiday meal that consists of seven ingredients, usually including water, meat, salt, milk
or yoghurt, and a grain. These ingredients symbolize seven virtues, and the meal is
offered to guests and neighbors. In many towns, messengers travel among the houses
and invite people to join the celebrations. In some places, people dress up like heroes
from Kazakh folklore like Aldar Kose, Zhirenshe and Karashash. There’s also co-ed
wrestling, people trying to say tongue-twisters (zhanyltpash) and riddle-solving
(zhumbak).
Throughout Central Asia, Navroz is closely associated with samanu, called sumalak.
Sumalak is a sweet wheat paste made from young wheatgrass which is soaked and
prepared a week in advance. On the eve before Navroz, women gather around huge
pots of sumalak stirring it for hours upon hours and singing folk songs until dawn. The
sweet paste is then handed out to loved ones to spread around the joy of the new year.
Kurdistan
For Kurds across the Middle East, Newroz is intimately linked to the story of Kawa (also
known as Kaveh) from the mythical Persian poem the Shahnameh. Kawa was a
blacksmith who led an uprising against a tyrannical Assyrian king named Zahak and
freed his people from Zahak’s oppressive rule. In commemoration of the victory, they
say, Newroz was established and the victorious villagers leaped over bonfires to
celebrate.
Among Kurds in Turkey, Iraq, and Syria, Newroz is deeply political due to the fact that its
celebration has been for decades suppressed. As a result, the story of Kawa has taken on
added urgency as asymbol of popular resistance to oppression. The bonfires lit in
Kurdish Newroz celebrations in these countries are often spectacular displays, and
hundreds or thousands will circle them to perform large line dances to mark the
festivity.
Many Kurds go out into the countryside to mark Newroz and have picnics with families,
celebrating the warmer weather and wearing bright, traditional Kurdish clothes to
welcome Spring.
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data-recalc-dims="1" />A Kurdish man jumps over a bonfire in Newroz celebrations in
Istanbul.
Albania, Kosovo, and Turkey

In Albania and Kosovo, “Dita e Sulltan Nevruzit” (the Day of Nevruz Sultan) is a national
holiday closely linked to the Bektashi Sufi order. Nevruz is considered a pan-Albanian
holiday dear to all and central to religious harmony. For followers of the Sufi order,
Nevruz is marked as the commemoration of the birth of Imam Ali, the fourth Islamic
caliph, while for secular Albanians its celebration is linked to the beginning of spring.
In Sufi tekkes (lodges) across Albania and Kosovo, Nevruz is a day when many visit and
large meals of lamb are cooked to be shared with all who stop by. Many Sufi lodges
carry out dhikr, or ritual remembrance and chanting, on the day.
Nevruz commemorations – and their links to Imam Ali’s birthday – are widespread
among Bektashi Sufis and Alevis in countries outside of Albania as well, especially in
Turkey. Celebrations like Mart Dokuzu, which means 9th of March, are linked to the
Nevruz holiday, and often include visits to grave sites. In rural Anatolia, some Nevruz
traditions include placing bowls of water throughout the house on Nevruz eve in the
hope that one’s wishes come true. Across Anatolia, there are various commemorations
linked to Nevruz that are different from region to region, but often include water, fire,
and picnicking outside and wishing for luck in the year to come.
In many parts of southeastern Europe, especially those previously under Ottoman rule,
Nevruz celebrations were often absorbed over time into Easter rituals. This is partially
because of how similar celebrations can be: for example, the tradition of painted eggs
exists in both. Until the mid-20th century, Nowruz celebrations were common in many
parts of Bulgaria and Romania, especially among communities like Pomaks, Albanians,
and Gagauz, and among Crimean Tatars in the Ukraine.
Tanzania
Of all the countries where Nowruz is celebrated, probably the least widely known is in
Tanzania. About 1,000 years ago, a group of Iranians from Shiraz move to the island of
Zanzibar off the coast of Tanzania and settled there. They were part of a larger wave of
migration from Iran and the Persian Gulf region over the centuries to come that brought
Zanzibar and Africa’s eastern coast generally into an intimate relationship with the
Persian Gulf regions.
The Shirazis who settled in Zanzibar brought Nowruz with them, and over time
Zanzibaris adopted the holiday under the name Mwaka Kogwa. The holiday is
celebrated in July (Tanzania is in the Southern hemisphere after all!), and today it is
celebrated as a new year festival with its own set of traditions.
The most well-known Makwa Kogwa takes place in the village of Makunduchi. There,
men use banana stems to engage in mock fights with each other in order to air out the
grievances from the past year and start the new year fresh. Women, meanwhile, sing
songs in the fields around the village. The celebration includes large meals offered to
any guest who passes by, as it is considered unlucky to be without a guest on the
holiday. Like most Nowruz celebrations, Makwa Kogwa even includes a big bonfire.
These are just some of the many ways Nowruz is marked around the world today. What
did we miss? Let us know in the comments!

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A mural shows Safavid Shah Tahmasp and Humayun celebrating together.

Nowruz festivities in Kabul, Afghanistan.

A typical Iranian Haft Seen spread.

Rastak- Sornaye Nowruz (Official Video) - )‫ رستاک (سرنای نوروز‬- YouTube

Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-12623 lazyload" width="1160"

Albania, Kosovo, and Turkey

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