Happy Naw-Rúz (Persian)
Deborah Swallow | March 21st, 2010 in : days of significance, General, Russia/Asia, social practices, The Middle East/Arab World
Naw-Rúz (New Day) is the traditional celebration 
of the Iranian New Year and is celebrated throughout many countries of the Middle East and Central Asia: Iran, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. For countries outside of the Middle East, the date has been fixed as 21st March, but traditionally it falls at the spring equinox. Originally it is one of the nine holy days of the Bahá’í Faith and is a work holiday.
Naw-Rúz is the first day of the month of Baha which is the first month in the Bahá’í calendar. The festival is usually observed with meetings for prayer and celebration. The celebration is often combined with a feast: the sunset before Naw-Rúz signals the end of a 19-day fast. Festivities can also include music and dancing. Time is spent visiting friends and relatives and exchanging gifts. Naw-Rúz is an old Iranian celebration and also marks the start of the Zoroastrian new year.
Hello, I'm Deborah Swallow and, for the last fifteen years, I've worked in over thirty countries addressing the complexities of people working internationally across multiple cultures, so individuals and organisations alike can gain an authentic competitive edge and win in international markets. 