Alwaght- Iranians in Iran and across the world along with other nations with cultural links to Iran are celebrating Nowruz, the new Persian year.
People have been preparing for the day from a couple of days ago with decoration of their cities and homes.
Nowruz, meaning new day in Persian and being 3,000 years old, is a shared celebration of a number of West Asian nations including Turkey, Iraq, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, India, Kazakhstan, and some others.
It is a day that symbolises the renewal of nature and the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
The celebration is known for its emphasis on peace, solidarity, and respect for different cultures, aiming to bring people closer together.
In the hours of shift to the new year, people gather around Haft-Sin Table, a table including seven items whose names start with letter s in farsi.
The event is remnant of ancient Iran and after the Islamic period it became a juncture where culture meets religion.
People observe the holiday so to welcome the start of the spring. The celebration lasts for about two weeks.
When exactly Nowruz begins thus varies across countries, depending on time zones. This year, it takes place at 26 seconds past 6.36 a.m., March 20, in Tehran, Iran (11:06 p.m., March 19, EDT).
The United Nations declared March 21, when the vernal equinox usually occurs, to be the International Day of Nowruz in a 2010 resolution.
People visit relatives in the two weeks of Nowruz holidays. The new year holidays are normally a time of boom of the tourism and consumer market.
This year, Google Doodle recognized the celebration. Google celebrated ‘International Nowruz Day 2024’ on Tuesday with a specially designed Google Doodle created by the talented Iranian guest artist, Pendar Yousefi, who aimed to capture the essence of his joyful childhood experiences in Nowruz to welcome the arrival of spring through his artwork.
The early hours of the new year start with a message by the Leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei that reviews past year and outlines the plans for the new year.
The Leader every year announces a slogan for the new year, mainly focusing on the economy. Last year, the Leader named the year the "year of inflation control, production increase" as the country struggled with rising prices.
Then comes a message from the president that details the government plans for the new year. The message addresses economy and home policy.
National television on its various channels airs shows that host a range of people from cultural and religions figures to singers and actors.
