Nowruz customs and celebration

Page 2 | Nowruz 1394 | April 2015
‫مجله داخل پروازی‬
‫هواپیمایی ماهان‬
1394 ‫نوروز‬
Mahan Inflight Magazine
Nowruz 1394
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C
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T
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Poem.......................................................................3
The International Day of Nowruz................................4
Nowruznameh.......................................................5
Nowruz Ceremonies......................................................6
Amoo Norooz................................................................9
Mir-e Nowruzi.............................................................10
Kusa..........................................................................11
Nowruz in Azerbayjan.................................................12
Happy, Happy New Year!
We wish you all the best,
Great work to reach your fondest goals,
And when you’re done, sweet rest.
We hope for your fulfillment,
Contentment, peace and more,
A brighter, better new year than
You’ve ever had before.
Page 4 | Nowruz 1394 | April 2015
"Nowruz reminds us of the values
and aspirations we all share for peace
through tolerance, respect and mutual
understanding.”
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
The United Nations’ (UN) International
Day of Nowruz celebrates the start of the
Persian spring festival March 21 ever year.
It occurs on or around the time of the
March equinox.
International Nowruz Day was proclaimed
by the United Nations General Assembly,
in its resolution A/RES/64/253 of 2010,
at the initiative of several countries that
share this holiday (Afghanistan, Albania,
Azerbaijan, the Former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia, India, Iran (Islamic Republic
of), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,
Turkey and Turkmenistan.
Inscribed in 2009 on the Representative
List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage
of Humanity as a cultural tradition
observed by numerous peoples, Nowruz
is an ancestral festivity marking the
first day of spring and the renewal of
nature. It promotes values of peace
and solidarity between generations and
within families as well as reconciliation
and neighborliness, thus contributing to
cultural diversity and friendship among
people and different communities.
About 300 million people worldwide
celebrate Nowruz, with traditions and
rituals particularly strong in the Balkans,
the Black Sea and Caspian Sea regions,
the Caucasus, Central and South Asia, and
the Middle East. Events may include folk
dance performances, special concerts,
and tree planting ceremonies.
21 March
International
Day of Nowruz
Nowruznameh,
A treatise on the origins
of history and rituals of
the Nowruz feast
Omar Khayyam
Nowruznameh – epistle of Nowruz – the
writing of which is attributed to Omar
Khayyam, the celebrated Persian-speaking
poet, mathematician, astronomer, and
philosopher. Nowruznameh is the only
classical Persian text on the historical
Nowruz feast, even though the Persian
poetry is inundated throughout its
history with the topic of Nowruz and
the related issues. This ancient feast has
visited hearts and homes of the people
in this geographical region, discarded the
violence of winter and has planted the
green foliage of love in its place.
There is a wealth of information in
Nowruznameh about names of horses
and explanations about them, names
of different types of swords, beliefs of
our predecessors about beauty, styles
of the kings, signs of treasures and the
characteristics that our predecessors
attributed to silver and gold, and etc.
All that information, in the beautiful
prose style of the fifth century after
Hegira, wrapped in the context of
mesmerizing stories and fables, has
attached high literary value to this book.
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NOWRUZ,
Persian
New Year
Nowruz Spread and Dishes
As the spring's footsteps
start tickling the ears, lilies,
daffodils and narcissus
wake up to bloom, the
impatient Iranians awaiting
the spring, set up a colorful
celebration to give it a red
carpet welcome. Nowruz
is the Persians' longest and
most cherished national
festivity, on which all
Iranians celebrate the New
Year with the nature's
resurrection from withered
winter.
Nowruz is the Celebration
of Life; it is determined
according to the spring
equinox and coincides with
March 21, or the previous/
following day, marking the
start of the spring in the
northern hemisphere.
Nowruz's
characteristic
herald, the old tambourine
man, Hajji Firuz, with blackpainted face and a red garb
on, goes out in the cities and
villages and while dancing
and singing cheerful songs,
spreads high spirits and
delight among the public.
He is the messenger of
health, power, happiness
and abundance in New
Year. His traditional musical
instruments are trumpet
and tambourine; while his
traditional song is "Hajji
Firuz-e, Saali Ye Ruz-e",
which means "It is Hajji
Firuz, coming only once a
year".
Along with his troupe of
musicians, he strolls on
the streets, alleyways, and
other passages entertaining
people.
Generous
people impressed by the
performance often present
the artists with some tip.
Esfand, the last winter
month of the year is the
high time for a welcoming
preparation.
To
begin
with, the housekeepers
set out to do the springcleaning, "Khaane-Tekaani"
in Persian, which mainly
entails the washing of the
carpets and the other mustwash items and furniture.
The other preparation is
growing "Sabzeh" (wheat,
lentil, or barley seeds) in
some pot, which is done
about a week before
Nowruz; but today many
people simply buy them.
One other preparation
to welcome Nowruz is
"Nowruzian
shopping",
called "Kharid-e Nowruzi".
It includes purchasing new
clothes, sweets, flower (in
particular hyacinths and
tulips) and the articles of
"Haft Sin".
Number 'seven' has got
a holy position in the
Persian mythology. We
are told of seven levels of
earth and heaven, seven
deities superior to others,
seven constellations which
controlled the fate of the
mortals and even seven
days in a week. Seven-S
spread, in Persian called
"Sofreye Haft Sin", is the
inextricable
component
of all homes on Nowruz.
Sofreh means spread or
tablecloth and Haft Sin,
seven-S. The role of Haft Sin
is very comparable to that
of the Christmas tree in the
Christian countries. Each
item has its own symbolism,
which stems from the
advent of the custom.
Haft Sin's most outstanding
item is "Sabzeh" (the green
sprouts of wheat, barley
or lentil) which symbolizes
rebirth and usually is
beatified with a strip of red
ribbon, while an orange may
be placed atop. A glittering
red or yellow "Seeb"(apple)
is the second and stands for
beauty and good health.
"Samanu", a kind of a sweet
pudding or custard, is the
next article symbolizing
affluence. The following
item stands for love and is
called "Senjed", fruit of the
oleaster or lotus tree. The
forth one is "Seer" (garlic)
and is the representative
of medicine on the spread.
Then there exists sumac
berries, "Somaq", which
epitomizes the color of
the sunrise;and as the last
article "Serkeh" (vinegar)
epitomizes patience and
age.
There are also some articles
whose initial is not "S",
but count with the items
of "Sofreye Haft-Sin". A
religious book(Quran, for
Muslims), an upright mirror,
burning candles, colored
eggs (as the Easter eggs),
a bowl of water with an
orange floating in, a bowl
of water with a gold fish
within, Iranian sweetmeats,
confectioneries, different
fruits, traditional Iranian
pastries such as baghlava,
"aajeel" (dried nuts, berries
and raisins) are other
important components of
the whole Nowruz festival,
and the national colors of
Iran.
Nowruz has its own
particular dishes, too.
"Sabzi-Polo Mahi", rice
with green herbs and fish,
is served on the night just
preceding Nowruz, or on
the same Nowruz day. On
the next day "Reshte Polo",
rice cooked with noodles is
prepared. "Koku Sabzi" is
served for the dinner and
is made out of herbs and
vegetable soufflé.
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Nowruz Ceremonies
Nowruz begins with "Saal Tahvil", which can be translated as the renewal
of the year. It is the very first instant in the New Year; the exact moment
of the spring equinox. Everybody in the family, dressed up in his or her
new clothes, gathers around the Haft Sin spread looking forward to
"SaalTahvil". As the countdown ushers in the New Year, the members
of the family, rejoicing, cheer up, hug and kiss each other, and exchange
Nowruz greetings, "Eid-e Shomamobarak!" or "Sal-e No Mobarak" (Happy
New Year). Now families, have a set schedule of visits to their relatives,
neighbors and friends and receiving their visits, too.
This custom that first the young call on the elder demonstrates the respect
that Iranians pay to the aged people. Visits are short, so that a typical visit
takes one about 30 minutes.
"Eidi", new-year gift, is another characteristic feature of Nowruz. Within
the family, it is the duty of the head of the household to grant the Eidi to
the members of the family, the same can be true of the visitors as well. Of
course, in the case of visitors only those who are considered younger, or
lower in rank, would receive "Eidi". The rounds of visitations might last as
long as twelve days, up to the day of "Sizdah Bedar".
Nowruz repeats and renews everything, generates and revives the nature
and influences Iranian creative soul, emotion and thought.
Amoo Norooz, Nanehsarma & Haji Firuz
Amu Nowruz or Amoo Norooz means the "Uncle Norooz". Along with his side-kick Hajji Firuz,
Amoo Norooz ushers in the spring time every year according to Iranian tradition. On the eve
of spring equinox, when the Iranian New Year is celebrated in the Iran Cultural Continent from
Albania in the West to the west of the China in the East, Amoo Norooz brings children gifts,
much like his Western counterpart Santa Claus. Along with Amoo Norooz and Haji Firooz, the
Iranian New Year mythical characters include Naneh Sarma, sometimes called "Lady of the
Cold Spells" , or "Grandma Frost".
Haji Firooz is the announcer of Norooz's arrival while Amoo Norooz is more of a respected—
almost always older—character who gives the gifts of Norooz. Haji Firooz is young, playful and
clownish, dancing, chanting, and playing his tambourine to bring good cheer. Amoo Norooz,
on the other hand, is more of a wise historical presence who passes the old story of Nowruz to
the young, thus giving the occasion the respect it deserves. Also, Haji Firooz demands eidee,
"presents" while Amoo Norooz grants presents.
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Mir-e Nowruzi
Mir-e Noroozi is, in fact, a temporary governor who governs the municipality for
a few days. Usually individuals from the working class are chosen for this task.
This temporary king, clad in official attire for the occasion, organizes an army and
appoints assistants; in short he forms a government of his own and is given a lot of
authority, and therefore has the right to punish and reward people. In olden times,
for instance, if a merchant sold goods for a price higher than the actual cost during
Nowruz, the Mir could publicly punish him for this. Sometimes the Mir would look
at this game as an opportunity to punish his enemies. Usually on the last day of his
reign, the temporary king runs away and hides somewhere, because people could
become vengeful as a result of his behavior during his reign. In northern Khorasan,
this playful king is called Khaan-e Sizdah Roozeh (literally, the 13 days ruler). You
can even find the trace of this game in the poetry of the Persian poet of the 14th
century, Hafez:
I speak behind the curtains of metaphor, come out of the bud like a flower
For, the temporary king of Nowruz has a verdict for but five days
Kusa
A Persian carnival character known to the medieval
and modern folklore of central and western Persia.
KUSA “a man with little or no beard, beardless”),
a carnival character known to the medieval and
modern folklore of central and western Persia. The
celebration of the Kusa festival “the riding of the thinbearded” is reported by early Islamic authors and
some more recent, secondary texts.
The custom was performed during the spring festival.
An ugly, thin-bearded man, dressed in rags, appeared
in the streets riding a donkey or a mule, holding a
crow in one hand and a fan in the other. He bade
farewell to the winter and announced the coming
of spring, demanding money for his good news.
In spite of a still cold weather, Kusa pretended to
be hot, fanning himself with his fan and exclaiming
(“Warmth! Warmth!”). (In order to feel warm
actually, he ate warming food (chestnuts, garlic, fat
meat), and rubbed some ointments on his body. The
people threw water, snow, and ice on him and he, by
his turn, threw some muddy, staining matter at those
who refused him a gift.
What is described in these old sources seems to be an
institutionalized urban custom. The role of Kusawas
hereditary and lucrative. Kusawas allowed to circulate
only until the afternoon; if caught afterwards, he may
be beaten.
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Nowruz in
Azerbaijan
Nowruz in Azerbaijan is a traditional holiday which celebrates the New Year,
and the coming of spring. When Azerbaijan was part of the Soviet Union,
celebration of Nowruz was generally unofficial, and at times even prohibited.
Currently in Azerbaijan, Nowruz is treated as an official public holiday. In
accordance with Article 105 of the Labor Code of Azerbaijan passed in 2006,
workers receive five days off for Nowruz.
Nowruz customs and celebration
Usually preparation for Nowruz begins a month prior to the festival. Each
of forthcoming 4 weeks is devoted to one of the four elements and called
accordingly in Azerbaijan. Each Tuesday people celebrate the day of one of
the four elements - water, fire, earth and wind. People do house cleaning,
plant trees, make new dresses, paint eggs and make national pastries such
as shekerbura, pakhlava, shorgoghal and a great variety of national cuisine.
Wheat is fried with kishmish (raisins) and govurga (nuts). As a tribute to firerespecting every Tuesday during four weeks before the holiday, kids jump
over small bonfires and candles are lit. On the holiday eve the graves of
relatives are visited and tended.
Nowruz is a family holiday. In the evening before the holiday the whole family
gathers around the holiday table laid with various dishes to make the New
Year rich. The holiday goes on for several days and ends with festive public
entertainment of folk bands, contests of national sports. In rural areas crop
holidays are marked.
The decoration of the festive table is khoncha, a big silver or copper tray with
Samani, green shoots from wheat seeds placed in the center and candles and
dyed eggs by the number of family members around it. The table should be
set, at least, with seven dishes.
Page 13 | Nowruz 1394 | April 2015