Next: 21 Mar to 2 Apr 2027
Nowruz, the threshold of the year
The spring equinox new year, with a deep clean, a table of symbolic foods and first-footing for luck.
About Nowruz, the threshold of the year
Nowruz begins at the March equinox and is kept across Iran, Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Kurdish regions. Houses are cleaned before it (khaneh-tekani, shaking the house) so that the year starts without the old dust. The Persian haft-sin table holds seven items whose names begin with the letter s, such as sprouted wheat, garlic, apple and vinegar, each said to stand for a hope such as rebirth, health or patience. The first visitor across the threshold, and the first words heard, are watched as omens, and on the thirteenth day (Sizdah Bedar) families go outdoors and tie knots in grass, a gesture believed to bind a wish, so that the bad luck of that day stays out of the house. In Central Asia the sprouted-wheat dish sumalak is cooked overnight with women singing around the pot.
Entries tied to it
Also part of it, and being written: Haft-sin (The table of seven s-things and what each is said to mean.), Hajji Firuz (The red-clad figure who announces the new year.).
More entries linked to Nowruz, the threshold of the year
Written by the EveryJaadu desk with AI assistance. Background: "Nowruz" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family, and are described as belief and practice. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.