نوروز مبارک

Nowruz:
A New Day Begins

The world's oldest celebration of spring — 3,000 years of fire, feasting, and fresh starts.

March 20, 2026 · Year 3763 · 10:46 AM EST
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The Festival

What is Nowruz?

Nowruz — literally "new day" in Persian — is the moment spring begins. Not midnight on a calendar, but the exact astronomical second the Sun crosses the equator. Over 300 million people across Iran, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the global diaspora gather at that precise instant to welcome a new year.

It's one of the oldest continuously celebrated holidays on Earth, rooted in Zoroastrian tradition but long since evolved into a secular cultural festival. People of all faiths — Muslims, Christians, Jews, Bahá'ís, and the non-religious — mark Nowruz. The celebration lasts thirteen days and touches every part of life: homes are cleaned top-to-bottom, new clothes are worn, elders are visited, and tables are set with seven sacred symbols.

A beautifully arranged Haft-sin table for Nowruz
A Haft-sin table — the ceremonial centerpiece of every Nowruz celebration
The Table

The Seven Seens

The heart of Nowruz is the Haft-sin — a spread of seven symbolic items, each beginning with the Persian letter سین (sin). Families spend days preparing the table, adding mirrors, candles, painted eggs, goldfish, and books of poetry alongside the seven essentials.

🌱
Sabzeh
سبزه
Sprouted wheat or lentils — rebirth & renewal
🍎
Sib
سیب
Apples — beauty & health
🧄
Sir
سیر
Garlic — medicine & protection
🫒
Senjed
سنجد
Dried oleaster — love & affection
🍯
Samanu
سمنو
Sweet wheat pudding — affluence & wealth
🌶️
Somāq
سماق
Sumac — the color of sunrise
🫙
Serkeh
سرکه
Vinegar — patience & age
Nowruz Haft-sin spread with goldfish and mirror
Goldfish, mirrors, and candles adorn the table
Hand-painted eggs for Nowruz
Hand-painted eggs, hyacinths, and books of Hafez poetry
The Fire

Chaharshanbe Suri:
Jumping Over Flames

On the last Tuesday evening before Nowruz, the streets come alive with bonfires. Chaharshanbe Suri — the Festival of Fire — is all about leaping over flames while chanting: "Zardi-ye man az to, sorkhi-ye to az man" — give me your warm red glow, take away my sickly yellow pallor.

It's a ritual of letting go. You jump and leave behind the heaviness, the illness, the bad luck of the past year — and land on the other side ready for spring. Fireworks crack overhead, families gather in the streets, and the whole neighborhood smells like smoke and possibility.

People jumping over bonfires during Chaharshanbe Suri
Chaharshanbe Suri — jumping over bonfires to welcome the new year
No matter how harsh the winter, spring always returns.
— The promise at the heart of Nowruz
The Celebration

13 Days of Spring

Nowruz isn't a single day — it's a thirteen-day arc that builds from preparation to celebration to release. Each phase has its own character.

Before Nowruz — Khooneh Tekouni
Literally "shaking the house." Every room is deep-cleaned, curtains washed, carpets beaten. It's spring cleaning as spiritual practice — making space for the new by clearing out the old.
Last Tuesday — Chaharshanbe Suri
Bonfires in the streets. Jump over the flames, bang pots and pans, crack fireworks. Let the fire burn away the weight of the old year.
The Moment — Sal Tahvil
The exact second of the equinox. Families sit around the Haft-sin, eyes on the clock, Hafez open. When the moment hits, it's hugs, kisses, and "Nowruz Mobarak!" Elders give crisp bills (eidi) to the children.
Days 1–12 — Visiting & Feasting
You visit family in order of age — elders first. Every home has tea, pastries, and a spread. You wear new clothes. You make amends. The whole neighborhood is in motion.
Day 13 — Sizdah Bedar
Everyone goes outside. Massive picnics in parks and hillsides. The sprouted sabzeh from the Haft-sin is tossed into running water to carry away bad luck. The thirteen days of celebration end under open sky.
Families picnicking outdoors on Sizdah Bedar
Sizdah Bedar — the 13th day, spent outdoors with family and nature
The Feast

What You Eat at Nowruz

The Nowruz table is as much about symbolism as flavor. The star dish is sabzi polo ba mahi — fragrant herbed rice with fish — which represents life (fish) and rebirth (green herbs). But the spread goes much deeper.

Sabzi polo ba mahi — herbed rice with fish

Sabzi Polo ba Mahi

Herbed rice studded with dill, parsley, and chives, served with fried or baked fish. The essential Nowruz meal.

Ash-e Reshteh noodle soup

Ash-e Reshteh

Thick noodle soup with beans, herbs, and kashk (whey). The noodles symbolize the many paths of life in the new year.

Persian baklava sweets

Shirini & Baklava

An assortment of pastries and sweets. Every home has a tower of them ready for guests — because someone is always dropping by.

Persian tea with saffron rock candy nabat

Chai & Nabat

Dark tea brewed strong, served with saffron rock candy. The constant companion of every Nowruz visit.

Join In

How to Celebrate at Home

You don't need to be Persian to welcome the new year with Nowruz. The spirit of the holiday is universal — renewal, gratitude, and gathering with the people you love.

Set up a simple Haft-sin with whatever you can find: sprouted greens, an apple, some garlic, vinegar. Add a mirror, a candle, and a book you love. Cook sabzi polo ba mahi (herbed rice with any white fish). Invite friends. At 10:46 AM on March 20, pause and mark the moment — the exact second winter ends and spring begins.

Then spend the next thirteen days visiting people, wearing something new, and on the last day, have a picnic outside. That's Nowruz. That's the whole beautiful thing.

نوروزتان پیروز
Nowruz Mobarak — Happy New Year
March 20, 2026 · Year 3763 of the Zoroastrian Era