Abdollah Dodengeh, Steve Brown(Canceled)

“Renaissance of Nature-New Year of 300 Million Throughout the Middle East”

Now-Ruz (New Day), is an ancient Persian New Year celebration that dates back 3000 years. The origin of Nowruz is traced back to ancient Persia, was celebrated by pagans, then was adopted by Zoroastrians It has been believed that Ahura Mazda created the universe at the beginning of the spring! It has been a Zoroastrian holy celebration for the new year and the birthday of Zoroaster. Nowruz Celebration has Religious and Secular dimensions. Both have evolved significantly over various societies. The one with the extension of observance, the other with the accumulation of charming poetic tradition.

 The new year celebration is the astronomical beginning of the spring season on March 21, with the commencement of the Vernal Equinox/Spring Equinox, known as Shunbunnohi (春分の日) on March 21. Nowadays, more than 300 million people celebrate the festival in countries such as Iran, India,  Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Türkmenstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan. It is also celebrated by the people in Albania, Georgia, Iraq, Syria, China, etc.

 Rituals of Nowruz include fire, dance, gift exchanging, reciting poetry, symbolic objects, etc. It varies between societies. The traditional festival is the celebration of the triumph of spring over winter; light over darkness; and love over hate.  Another feature of the Nowruz is the transformation of enmity and resentment among people into peace and friendship. So that they embrace the new year more peacefully and cheerfully.

Nowruz Eve is a practice of gathering around the new year’s table decorated with objects symbolizing purity,  brightness, liveliness, and wealth to enjoy a long meal party, Exchange gifts, especially for children. Traditionally the meal consists of sabzi (vegetable) and aromatic herb rice and mahi (fish), or preferably smoked fish. The party used to go on with reciting poetry, the narration of legendary stories of Persian Shahnameh(epics of kings), or heroic and love stories accompanied by tea, nuts, fruits, and sweets

One of the new year’s traditions is the Table of Haft-Seen (7 S). It is an arrangement of seven symbolic items whose names start with “s”. These “seven” was considered a sacred number for the Sasanian Empire (224-651 A.D.) Since then the seven seeds have been planted by families in special dishes to decorate their haft-seen tables for the new year representing longevity and greenness. Interestingly people started adding other items such as a mirror (purity, transparency), and a candlestick.  Colorful eggs, Coins, holy Quran (after Islam), Divan-e Hafez (collection of Persian poems), goldfish, sweets,etc.

Nowruz,  festivals typically last for 13 days. The 13th day of Nowruz, called “Sizdah Bedar”, literally means “getting rid of the 13th”  as it has been considered an unlucky day to stay indoors. Therefore people spend all day out in nature enjoying picnicking and games with friends and families. On the same day, they throw out the sprouted wheat or other seeds that they had grown for “Haft-Seen”. They usually put it into running water to symbolize letting go of the old year and welcoming the new year.

Nowruz  day was proclaimed by the United Nations on 23 February 2010 at the initiative of several countries in the Balkans, Black Sea, Basin, Caucasus, Middle East and other regions. The General Assembly of the UN welcomed the Nowruz in the representative list of intangible Cultural Heritage  of Humanity.  Thus March 21 was also recognized as an International Day of the Nowruz.(Report submitted by the reporter, Abdollah Dodangeh.

The second presentation by Steve Brown was canceled.