Nowruz Mobarak!

Nowruz Mobarak to all our DPS Persian Families who are celebrating Persian New Year starting March 20th! May you and your families be blessed with happiness, health and prosperity in the New Year!

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What is Nowruz?  Nowruz, also known as Persian New Year, has been observed for more than 3,000 years as the victory of spring over darkness. Nowruz means 'new day' in Persian and is the most important festival of the year in Iran.

It is celebrated by families first cleaning their house top to bottom, then people prepare a special table in their homes, where they place small dishes holding seven symbolic foods and spices. The names of these foods all start with the letter 's' in Persian and so the table is called the 'seven s's' (haft-seen).

On the eve between the last Tuesday and Wednesday before the new year, people observe the Festival of Fire (Chaharshanbe Suri), which involves jumping over fires. This is believed to bring health and good luck in the new year. Jumpers leave any anger or negative feelings behind them in the fire, and take the power and vitality of the fire into the new year. There is lots of music, food and dancing to carry them through the night!

Iranians spend the night of Nowruz with their family. The traditional new year dinner is white fish with rice and herbs. Many families give a money gift (called eidi) to the children to mark the new year. People often visit each other's homes and always bring traditional gifts.  

Lisa Foster

Cultural Studies Specialist