Skip to main content
  • English
  • Deutsch
  • عربي
Qantara.de - Dialog mit der islamischen Welt
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Culture
  • Essays
  • Photo Essays
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Culture
  • Topics
  • Essays
  • Photo Essays

smartphone menu rubriken

  • Home
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Culture
  • Topics
  • Dialogues
  • Essays
  • Photo Essays
  • Letters to the Editors
Back to start
More Photo Essays

Nowruz: Persian New Year

Dances, colourful carpets, fire jumps and the "seven S's": Nowruz (literally "new day") marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the year in the Persian calendar. The feast is celebrated by 300 million people around the world.

 

Women celebrating Nowruz (photo: © Ima)

Colourful new year: Nowruz can be traced back to a Zoroastrian tradition that began around 2,500 years ago. Today, Nowruz, which is celebrated on the day of the March equinox, is marked by people in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iraq and parts of China.

Two women preparing the new year's platter (photo: © Mehr)

Customs and rituals: preparations for the "new day" begin weeks ahead of the actual event. Most traditions vary from country to country, but some are shared wherever Nowruz is celebrated. These Iranian women, for example, are preparing a traditional "Haft Sin" platter.

A "Haft Sin" table (photo: © Fars)

The Haft Sin ("seven S's") table is a well-known feature of Nowruz celebrations. The name comes from the fact that all elements on the table start with the letter s - sekkeh (coins), sib (apples), somaq (sumac), sonbol (hyacinths), sir (garlic), sabzi (greens - usually peppergrass) and serkeh (vinegar). All these things have a symbolic meaning for the new year.

The wheat pudding "samanou" (photo: © Mehr)

Good things come to those who ... eat!: samanou is typically served on Nowruz. The sweet paste is made out of wheat germ and eaten either alone or with bread. The wheat soaks for a week before the tasty treat is finally prepared.

The "Chaharshanbeh-soori" fire jump (photo: © Mohamad Mohamadi)

The fire jump: the last Tuesday evening of the "old year" symbolises the beginning of Nowruz. Pictured here: young Iranians in Germany welcome the new year festivities with fire jumps. Jumping over the bonfire symbolises that one is leaving the past behind and welcoming in the new.

A man searches for a place to set down his carpet (photo: © Mehr)

Spring clean: everything is dusted, wiped, cleaned and polished to a sparkle for the festivities. It is considered particularly important to air rugs outside and give them a good beating so that they are fresh for the new year. Pictured here: this Iranian man is searching in vain for an empty spot in the sun for his carpet.

Tajik women dancing to celebrate Nowruz (photo: © Aida Azarnoush)

Dancing to welcome the spring: in Tajikistan, people celebrate Nowruz with traditional song and dance. In the capital, Dushanbe, people gather at the stadium to watch a parade of girls and women showing off their perfectly choreographed and rehearsed steps.

Kurds celebrating Nowruz in Turkey (photo: © Getty Images)

Turkey: Kurds in Turkey also celebrate Nowruz. Here, a crowd has gathered in Istanbul to mark the event. Traditionally, people put on new clothes and meet in public places or visit family and friends to celebrate the new year, while children receive gifts of money and sweets.

PausePlay
PrevNext
  • ‎‎‎Newest
  • Most Read
  1. Earthquake aftermath

    Asbestos lurks in Turkey's earthquake zone

  2. Syrian refugees in Lebanon

    Living in constant fear of deportation

  3. Syrian literature

    Acclaimed writer Khaled Khalifa dies aged 59

  4. Saudi Arabia and the Khashoggi murder

    Still no justice

  5. 750th anniversary of Rumi's death – Part 3

    On Rumi's trail in Afghanistan

  6. Saudi-Israeli relations

    US-Saudi defence pact tied to Israel deal, Palestinian demands put aside

  1. Sex life in Saudi Arabia

    Lifting the veil

  2. Sex education

    The Arab Spring's greatest success?

  3. 750th anniversary of Rumi’s death – Part 1

    Seeking the essence of life

  4. 100 years of the Turkish Republic

    The legacy of the Treaty of Lausanne

  5. Saudi Arabia and the Khashoggi murder

    Still no justice

  6. Sex tourism in Egypt

    A bride for the summer

In brief

  • Torture in Egypt a "crime against humanity", say rights groups

  • After Ankara bombing, Turkey hits back in Iraq and at home

  • France hijab ban "against Olympic spirit" says Islamic sports body

  • Bangladesh dengue deaths top 1,000 in worst outbreak on record

More
Social media
and networks
Subscribe to our
newsletter

Most Recent Photo Essay

Vanishes into thin air: 2 October – Prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, where he had gone to obtain an official document for his upcoming marriage to his Turkish fiancee, Hatice Cengiz. He never emerged from the building, prompting Cengiz, who waited outside, to raise the alarm

Jamal Khashoggi: A mysterious disappearance and death

  • Home
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Culture
  • Topics
  • Dialogues
  • Essays
  • Photo Essays
  • Letters to the Editors
  • About us
  • Masthead
  • Privacy Policy