When is persian new year 2018 in california

In Iran, the new year begins with the advent of spring, and most everyone in the country — not to mention the millions of Iranians and non-Iranians who celebrate the holiday elsewhere around the world — observe it by doing a deep clean of their homes, celebrating a season of new life, and wishing for good luck in the year ahead. You might have heard about Nowruz peripherally.

The United Nations formally recognized it as an international holiday in ; President Obama extended Nowruz greetings to observers every year of his administration since although they often doubled as statements on the relationship between the United States and Iran.

But once I started to learn more about what Nowruz means outside of food — which, to be fair, is an important part of most holidays on this planet — I realized how fascinating its layered traditions really are. Nowruz marks the end of the old year and the beginning of a new one, and it occurs on the day of the vernal equinox. More accurately, the new year begins the second the equinox does — so, not just at the stroke of midnight.

Usually, the equinox happens from March 19 to 21; this year, Nowruz lands in the evening of March But there are also aspects of Nowruz that permeate Persian culture for weeks leading up to the holiday and even a couple of weeks afterward. No one knows exactly how far back Nowruz dates. The best estimates sit somewhere in the range of 3, years. But even in a nation that was fragmented to the point of revolt, the prospect of losing Nowruz prompted furious pushback that was too overwhelming to brush aside.

After thousands of years in the making, Nowruz remains too beloved, universal, and deeply embedded in Persian culture to ignore. And because the holiday has been around for so long, it suffers no shortage of related traditions. But there are nevertheless a few basic, foundational tenets that nearly everyone who celebrates Nowruz — in Iran and elsewhere — upholds. People start getting ready for Nowruz about three weeks before the actual vernal equinox.

Wash away the dust. Nowruz carpet cleaning, Qom , Iran. Washing away the dust of the previous year. Nowruz khaneh tekani cleaning , North Khorasan province, Iran. While some families add their own variations to the haft-seen more on those in a bit , there are seven things that are always included:. Once you have the seven cornerstones set, the haft-seen is yours to customize. It is celebrated on the day of the astronomical northward equinox, which usually occurs on March 20 or the following day depending on where it is observed; and.

Celebrating the vernal equinox may also have been an old Babylonian tradition known before B. In , that figure was The states with the next largest Iranian immigrant populations were New York, with 17, residents or 6. In Iranian households, an ornate fabric-draped table laden with symbolic items representing fertility, evolution, rebirth, prosperity, love, health and beauty is displayed.

Like Santa Claus, Amoo Nowruz is an older man with a white beard who brings gifts to children. His clown-like sidekick, Hadji Firooz, sings and keeps the mood lively.

Naneh Sarma, meanwhile, could be mistaken for Mrs. This procession through campus is a highlight of the Nowruz festival. Everyone is invited to join in.