Persian New Year marks blooming of spring

Persian New Year is celebrated by some students on campus, with the day falling on the first day of spring.

Melody Tavallaee

Persian New Year is celebrated by some students on campus, with the day falling on the first day of spring.

Melody Tavallaee, Staff Reporter

Persian New Year, or Nowruz in Farsi, takes place Monday and comes from an ancient Zoroastrian tradition. The holiday takes place at the exact start of Spring, symbolizing the beginning of a new chapter and is celebrated by Iranians worldwide.

Preparation for the holiday starts weeks before and is an important step in ensuring that everyone goes into the new year on a good foot.

“We start celebrating for the new year weeks in advance,” junior Marall Afshari said. “We do some major spring cleaning in the house and set up a Haft Seen table with different symbolic items which bring positivity into the house.”

The holiday is a time to bond with family, friends, and other members of the Persian community.

“There’s a few events right before the actual new year like the Tuesday before, they have a Persian festival of fire and you go to the park and celebrate with your friends,” senior Melina Kehtar said. “One of the things that you put on the table for Persian New Year is the eggs so we all decorate the eggs together, one for each member of our family.”

Living in a country full of other cultures can make it easy to forget where you come from, but for sophomore Daria Nikourazm, Nowruz provides an opportunity for her to reconnect with her roots.  

“It helps me stay with my culture because I tend to lose some of my culture in everyday life but I get rooted back to it when I’m connected with people who are like me,” Nikourazm said. “It’s important to remember where you came from and understand your own culture so you can explain it to others as well.”

The end of the festivities is celebrated through the tradition of Sizdeh Bedar, a day spent outside having a picnic with family.

“On the 13th day of the new year, Persians get rid of all their bad luck by spending the day outside having fun with family and friends,” Afshari said. “All the traditions and customs we continue to do every year remind me of how proud I am to be Iranian.”