Norouz as symbol of culture of peace

Norouz is an original Iranian festivity recognized by UN General Assembly as an ancient heritage of Iranians as a symbol of peace and friendship in the world. It is also a symbol of Iran’s rich culture and history.
Norouz is a national festivity, and an invaluable heritage of the ancestors of Iranians, highly revered by the public. The New Year’s Day, on March 21, is the first day of solar calendar year. It is the oldest and greatest memorial of the ancient Iran.

Norouz, since centuries ago, have been bringing happiness, peace, and felicity for the people of the globe. It is a bonanza of Persia, a true testimony of the long culture and history of this land.

The festivity is celebrated by other people in the sphere of Iranian influence in Iranian plateau in other countries.

The word ‘Norouz’ is the combination of ‘no’ meaning ‘new’ and ‘rouz’ meaning ‘day,’ which denotes the first day of solar year. In Old Persian, it had been called ‘Nouk Rouch,’ or ‘Nook Rouz.’

In ancient Iran, people called ‘Nava Sreda,’ meaning ‘new year.’ In Central Asia, Iranian peoples of Sogdian and Khwarazmshahian times, Norouz had been called ‘nosard’ and ‘nosarji’ meaning ‘New Year.’

The historians have found the true message and value of this ancient festivity through passing of the time, since through centuries of power transition to different ethnicities of the land, Nowrouz has been resilient and revered as before.

We do not exactly know when the Norouz was celebrated for the first time; in some Old Persian texts, such as Shahnameh of Firdausi (Epic of Kings) and History of al-Tabari, it is written that Jamshid, an ancient Iranian king or patriarch, founded the Norouz festivities. Some other texts ascribe it to Babylonians, when Cyrus the Great entered Babylonia in 538 BC.

Iranians have celebrated Norouz in different periods of their turbulent history and revered its grandeur. During Achaemenid era, people celebrated Nowrouz from Esfand 21 (March 11) to Ordibehesht 19 (May 8). During Sassanid era, it had been celebrated in two smaller and greater periods; smaller Norouz, or the Norouz of the plebeians beginning Farvardin 1st and ending Farvardin 5; and the Norouz of the patricians, which was held on Farvardin 6th.

Due to praises lavished on Nowrouz, the UN General Assembly recognized this Iranian heritage as a world festivity day on February 23, 2010. The Assembly also recognized its Iranian origin and registered it in its global calendar. UNESCO had formerly registered Norouz as a global intangible heritage on September 30, 2009.

Norouz is a valuable collection of Iran, promising the world with global values of solidarity, peace, and love of humanity. For the same reason, it had been eternalized as an honor for Iranians.