Nowruz 2025: Meaning, Date & How Is This Persian New Year Celebrated? Everything You Need to Know

Nowruz, meaning “a new day”, is the Persian New Year, which has been celebrated for more than 3,000 years. It marks the arrival of spring, symbolizing renewal and rebirth. Nowruz

About 300 million people around the world observe the festival, including communities of Iran, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Central Asian and Kurdish, Turkish Uyghur and Parsi groups.

Tradition involves the establishment of a “haft sin” table decorated with seven symbolic objects, each starting with Persian letters, representing concepts like rebirth, health and prosperity. Family gathers to clean the house, wear new clothes, visit relatives, and enjoy holiday meals.

The celebration lasted 13 days and ended up spending a day in “Sizdah Bedar”, which spent nature outdoors and escaped doom. Nowruz is an era full of joy, reflection and hope.

Nowruz 2025: What does this mean?

Nowruz, also known as the Persian New Year, is an important cultural celebration that marks the arrival of spring and symbolizes renewal and new beginnings. The word “Nowruz” translates into “New Day” in Persian, reflecting its essence as a time of revival and hope.

What Nowruz means

  • Cultural Heritage: Nowruz has celebrated over 3,000 years and is recognized by UNESCO as a cultural and spiritual heritage. It has deep roots that emphasize the theme of rebirth and connection to nature.
  • Celebration time: Nowruz takes place at the vernal equinox, usually around March 20 or 21. This moment marks the first day of the Persian calendar year, marking the equal length of day and night, heralding the beginning of spring.
  • Global compliance: Although primarily related to Iran, Novs is celebrated by all ethnic groups in various countries, including Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan and parts of Central Asia. In these areas, it is often considered a formal holiday.

Traditions and customs

  • Preparation: Before Nowruz, families thoroughly cleaned their home (called “Khaneh Tekani”) to symbolize renewal.
  • haft-seen table: A core tradition involves building a haft-seen table that includes seven symbolic objects, starting with the Persian letter “S”, each representing a different hope for the New Year (e.g., health, health, wealth, love).
  • Celebration: Celebrations include family gatherings, traditional food, music, dance and outdoor activities such as picnics. Nowruz is known as the 13th day after he is known as the “Sizdah Bedar”, focusing specifically on nature outings.
  • Sports & Games: Traditional sports events are also part of the celebration, promoting community spirit through friendly competitions such as wrestling and tug of war.

When will Nowruz fall in 2025?

Nowruz on Thursday, March 20, 2025, 12:31 pm Tehran Time (UTC+3:30), in line with the spring equinox

Nowruz 2025: A guide to history, tradition and celebration

The Iranian calendar begins at the vernal equinox in March, marking the first day of spring, usually around March 21. According to Iranian astronomer Tusi, Nowruz is defined as “the first day of the official New Year when the sun enters Aries before noon.”

Nowruz also marks the first day of Farvardin, the opening month of the Iranian Sun Calendar, which is currently the official calendar for Iran and has been previously used in Afghanistan.

What is the history of Nowruz?

Ancient Destiny: Nowruz may be the Zoroastrian festival of the second or early millennium BC.

It was celebrated during the Achemian dynasty (559-330 B.C.) and is cited in the text of the Parthians and the Sasanian Empire. The festival is related to the Spring Equinox, symbolizing rebirth and light over darkness.

Modern compliance: Nowruz was recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage in 2010, celebrated by all ethnic groups in Iran, Central Asia and beyond. This remains a major cultural event, beyond the religious boundaries observed by Zoroastrians, Baha’i and many Muslims.

Traditions and customs

  • haft-seen table: One of the main aspects of Nowruz is the haft-tee table, characterized by seven symbolic items, starting with the Persian letter “S” each represents values ​​such as growth (Sabzeh-bud), health (Seer – -Jarlic) and prosperity (Samanu-sweet wheat pudding).
  • Chaharshanbe Suri: This fire jump festival takes place on the last Wednesday before Nowruz. Participants skip the bonfire, symbolizing cleaning from negative emotions and welcome health and warmth into their lives.
  • Family Visit (DID-O-BAZDID): Nowruz’s first day is dedicated to visiting family and friends. Young relatives usually visit the elders first to receive new year blessings. During these visits, gifts are called EIDI.

gourmet food

Nowruz celebrations include special dishes that vary by region but often with:

  • Sabzi Polo Ba Mahi: Herbed Rice is paired with fish, symbolizing prosperity.
  • Kuku Sabzi: A healthy herbal frittata.
  • Reshteh Polo: Noodle rice symbolizing good luck.
  • Sholeh Zard: Saffron Rice Symbols Happiness

In order to recognize its cultural and historical significance, the United Nations designated March 21 as the “Nov International Day”. This was formally established through resolution 64/253 adopted by the General Assembly in February 2010.

Nowruz 2025: Who celebrates this Persian New Year?

Nowruz is celebrated in many countries, including:

  • Iran: At the heart of the Noruz celebration, it is a public holiday that is deeply embedded in cultural traditions.
  • Afghanistan: known as “Navaruz”, it features public gatherings and celebrations.
  • Central Asia: countries such as Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan all regard Novs as a public holiday with various local customs.
  • Caucasus: Azerbaijan and Georgia celebrate festivals including music and dance.
  • Middle East: Novs celebrates with bonfires and public feasts in Iraq and Syria, especially in Kurdish communities.
  • South Asia: In India and Pakistan, Nowruz is mainly observed by the Parsi community, a descendant of the Zoroastrians of Persia.

Nowruz 2025: What is Chaharshanbe Suri?

Chaharshanbe Suri, also known as the “Fire Festival”, is a traditional Persian celebration that takes place on the eve of the last Tuesday before Nowruz, marking the beginning of the Persian New Year. The festival is rooted in Zoroastrian roots and symbolizes purification, renewal and welcome in spring.

1. etymology:

The name “Chaharshanbe Suri” translates to “Red Wednesday”, “Chaharshanbe” means Wednesday, and “Suri” may mean holidays or red, which reflects the meaning of the fires during the celebration.

2. Historical significance:

The festival dates back to ancient times and is related to fire and is a symbol of purity and energy. It represents the transition from darkness (winter) to light (spring) and is associated with various pre-Islamic rituals.

3. Main traditions:

  • Skip the Fire: The most famous tradition involves creating bonfires and jumping them while shouting phrases that symbolize the transfer of a person’s illness to the fire, such as “Zardi-ye Man Az, Sorkhi-ye, Sorkhi-ye, sorkhi-ye to Az Man”, which means “Take me Pardu, make me red, and give me red.” The bill is believed to bring health and good luck to the New Year.
  • Spoon Explosion (Qashoq-Zani): In a playful tradition, similar to trick-or-treat, children dress up and hit the spoon door to door on a bowl or plate to collect snacks.
  • Fate Telling (Fāl): Participants engage in fortune telling by putting personal belongings into a jug with a note containing a note. A child draws an item from a jug, and its corresponding slide reveals a fortune.

4. Celebration atmosphere:

The night is filled with fireworks, music and dance as the community gathers together to enjoy the celebration. It is a vibrant prelude to Nowruz, fostering a sense of community and joy.

Nowruz 2025: What does sizdah be-dar mean?

Sizdah Be-dar (also known as “Nature Day”) is a major celebration that takes place on the 13th day of Farvardin, the first month of the Iranian calendar, marking the end of Nowruz celebrations.

This tradition is deeply rooted in ancient Persian culture and has various meanings and customs. In 2025, Sizdah Be-dar will be celebrated on April 2, 2025.

1. Meaning and meaning

  • Cultural Importance: Sizdah Be-dar symbolizes the victory of spring and represents the time of renewal and connection with nature. This is thought to help withstand the evil and negative emotions accumulated over the past year.
  • Historical roots: The origin of Sizdah Be-dar can be traced back to ancient Zoroastrian practices. It is associated with Tir, the god representing rainwater and fertility, highlighting the importance of nature in an agricultural society.

2. Celebrate practice

  • Outdoor picnic: Family and friends gather in a park, garden or natural setting to enjoy a picnic. This community activity promotes social bonds and enables participants to appreciate the beauty of nature.
  • Throwing away sabzeh: A key ritual involves throwing away sprouted vegetables (sabzeh) in Noft (Nowruz) which are part of haft-heaf-taper. This behavior symbolizes misfortune and negative emotions over the past year.
  • Knotted greens: Unmarried girls often knotted grass leaves on this day, hoping to love and company. This custom reflects hope for future relationships.
  • Pranks and Jokes: Similar to April Fool’s Day, Sizdah Be-dar adds fun to the celebration by including relaxing pranks among friends and family.
  • Celebrate Nature: This day emphasizes respect for nature, and many people engage in activities that emphasize environmental appreciation. It reminds the importance of preserving natural resources.