16
Mar
2017

Nowruz

Nowruz

Nowruz (pronounced no-rooz) is a combination of two Persian words. The first word “now” means new and the
second word “ruz” means day; together they mean “New Day.” Nowruz is the name for the celebrations that observe the New Year for many Persian and Central Asian communities. The exact beginning of the New Year occurs when the season changes from winter to spring on the vernal equinox, which usually happens on 20 or 21 March each year. The spelling of Nowruz in English can take many forms, including: Noroz, Norouz, Nowruz and Norooz.For this resource we have used the spelling Nowruz.
The festivities of Nowruz reflect the renewal of the Earth that occurs with the coming of spring. Activities that
celebrate the arrival of Nowruz share many similarities with other spring festivals such as Easter, celebrated by
Christians, and the Egyptian holiday called Sham Al-Naseem, which dates back to the time of the Pharaohs.