Nowruz: New Year, Spring Festival and National Holiday

In Persian and Central Asian cultures, Nowruz has the same significance as Christmas in Europe, Thanksgiving in the USA or the New Year in China. The celebration is preceded by days of preparation.

  • A typical Nowruz table decorated for example with apples, garlic, flowers, a punch bowl with a live goldfish, a candle, with green grass and an open book.
    Seven symbols with "S": "Sofra ye Haft Seen" is the name of the table with seven elements, all beginning with the letter "S". "Sabzeh" – something green – symbolises joy, garlic ("seer") stands for protection, the flour berry ("sinjid") is considered the seed of life, vinegar ("serkeh") is the symbol of patience and the apple ("seeb") is included as a symbol of beauty and health
  • Four young cheerful women in colourful traditional dresses in the sunshine.
    Traditional costumes at Nowruz: in Tajikistan, Nowruz is celebrated for a whole week. These women are wearing traditional Tajik dresses. The vibrant colours represent spring and the renewal of all life, which is celebrated at Nowruz. The colourfulness of the clothes is also considered a symbol of friendship
  • Men and a woman buying fresh fruit and herbs at a shop front.
    Rebirth of the earth: in Iran, the Nowruz festival heralds the beginning of the new calendar year – comparable to New Year's Day on 1 January in Europe or the Chinese New Year at the end of January or beginning of February. Preparations for the festival begin days before. As a symbol of vitality and life, green ("sabzah") is one of the most important elements on the traditional Nowruz table
  • Laughing women wearing traditional yellow costumes dance hand in hand.
    Blessed winners: people in Kazakhstan believe Nowruz brings renewal and good luck. That is why the houses are cleaned in advance to protect their inhabitants from illness and misfortune. During the festival itself, there are competitions between groups of men and women. If the women win, it is considered a blessing; if the men win, a bad year is in store – according to popular belief
  • Four women in green dance with outstretched arms in front of a projection showing a tree in flower
    Traditional dances and poems: Nowruz is also celebrated in Pakistan. People there believe that with the celebration of Nowruz, all is refreshed and the world becomes more joyful. Traditionally, dances are performed and poems are read at Nowruz. But visiting relatives and friends is naturally also a part of the celebrations in Pakistan
  • Four men in traditional costume carry burning brands up a hillside.
    The Nowruz flame as a symbol of the festival in Iraq: Kurds in Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey also celebrate Nowruz as a traditional festival going back centuries. During the festival Iraqi Kurds carry the Nowruz flame through the villages and up into the mountains
  • Two rows of women in pink ballgowns stand holding their skirts out on a stage.
    Nowruz brings the sun into the houses: during the Nowruz festival in Uzbekistan, lights shine in four places, while people often dance and wear new clothes. There, too, Nowruz is considered the most important holiday of the year. Women and girls empty their houses and spread their belongings out in the sun so that – according to custom – the spring breeze and the Nowruz sun can blow into the house
  • Nowruz table at the UN headquarters
    More than 3000 years of festive tradition: some 14 years ago UNESCO included Nowruz on the list of "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity". This is in recognition of the fact that the festival has been celebrated for more than 3000 years in various parts of the world. In 2018 Nowruz was also celebrated at UN headquarters, attended by the secretary-general of the United Nations