March 20 marks the ancient Persian/Iranian holiday of Nowruz throughout much of West Asia, Central Asia, parts of the Indian subcontinent and the Caucasus.
The festival is over 3,000 years old and dates back to the ancient Iranian Achaemenid empire. It is rooted in the religion of Zoroastrianism, which emphasises the connection of humans to nature.
The festival marks the first day of the traditional Persian calendar, which is also the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere, the vernal equinox.
As per UNESCO, “Nowruz is a rite dating back to at least the 6th century BCE that marks the new year, ushers in spring, and celebrates the rebirth of nature”.
This is seen in the famous ‘Haft Seen’ table that is set out on in Iranian homes on Navroz, as per the UN. “This table is artfully arranged with seven items, each beginning with the Persian letter “S.” These items symbolize various attributes of life…” One of these seven items is Sabzeh (sprouted grains) which symbolises rebirth and renewal.
“In some communities, households replenish their water supplies on the last Wednesday of the year, a ritual that symbolizes the cleansing and refreshing power of water,” according to the UN.
In 651 AD, Arab Muslims conquered the whole of Greater Persia and subdued it, setting in motion the process of its Islamisation.
But while Persia became Muslim, Nowruz or ‘New Day’ survived.
“Nowruz survived because it was so profoundly engrained in Iranian traditions, history, and cultural memory that Iranian identity and Nowruz mutually buttressed each other, and the emergence of a distinctly Persian Muslim society—and later the emergence of a nation state with the advent of the Safavids—legitimized the ancient national festival and allowed it to flourish with slight modifications or elaborations,” according to the website Encyclopaedia Iranica.
In 2009, UNESCO inscribed Nowruz on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, acknowledging its profound cultural significance and its role in fostering mutual understanding among different communities.
The next year, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed March 21 as the International Day of Nowruz, encouraging global celebrations that highlight the festival's themes of peace, unity, and renewal.