Why is Navroz celebrated? History!

 What is Nowruz?

Nowruz, literally "New Day", is a traditional celebration of the Iranian New Year. For more than 2,000 years, Iranians have celebrated the holiday regardless of race, religion or language. Its non-racial and non-religious character is the exact reason why it remains prominent beyond the political borders of modern Iran and is celebrated by people in many other places in Central Asia, the Caucasus and West Asia. . Due to its Iranian origin, it has also been adopted as the official New Year holiday of the Baha'i Faith.

Although our earliest knowledge of Nowruz dates back to the pre-Islamic history of Zoroastrianism in Iran, there is no reason to believe that it was a religious celebration. Likewise, Islamic adaptations in the tradition of Nowruz have more to do with the intimate feel of Nowruz as a traditional celebration than any religious belief. This time coincides with the astronomical start of spring, making it a natural choice for celebrating the New Year, which has similar parallels in other cultures.

Historical background of Nowruz

The name Nowruz does not appear in any Iranian document from the second century AD. We have reason to believe that the celebrations took place long before this date, and in the Achaemenid period (555-330 BC), the people and the royal family certainly celebrated.

It is often believed that the famous complex of Persepolis, or at least the Apadana and the Hundred Columns Palace, was dedicated to the celebration of Nowruz. However, the fact that the name Nowruz is not mentioned in any Achaemenid inscription may indicate a non-Indo-European origin.

Our oldest records of Nowruz date back to the Shabbat/Parthian era (247 BC - 224 AD). During the reign of Parthian Emperor Vologassis I (51-78 AD), there were specific Nowruz celebrations. Unfortunately, the absence of any substantial record of Shabbat rule makes it nearly impossible to explore the details of Nowruz in their time.

After the accession of the founder of the Sasanian dynasty (224 AD), Ardhir I Pabakan, consistent data on the celebration of Nowruz have been recorded. Throughout the Sasanian period (224-650 AD), Nowruz was celebrated as the most important ceremony of the year.

Most of Nowruz's royal traditions, such as annual public audiences, cash gifts, and the pardoning of prisoners, were established during the Sasanian period and continued into modern times.

Nowruz and Sadeh, celebrated in mid-winter, are two pre-Islamic festivals that survived in Islamic societies after 650 AD. Other celebrations, such as Gahanbar and Mehragan, were eventually abandoned or followed only by Zoroastrians who brought them to India. However, Nowruz is the most revered holiday even among the early founders of Islam. There are records of the four presiding caliphs of Nowruz, and it has been referred to as the most important royal holiday of the Abbasid dynasty.

After the fall of the Caliphate and the resurgence of Iranian dynasties such as the Samanids and Buyids, Nowruz was elevated to a greater event. The Baid dynasty revived the old traditions of the Sasanian dynasty and revived many small celebrations which had been abolished by the caliphs. Even the Turks and Mongols who invaded Iran did not try to abolish Nowruz in favor of another celebration. Therefore, Nowruz remains the most important celebration in the country of Iran, both for officials and for the people.

The Roots of Nowruz

Nowruz is widely considered the most "Iranian" of all celebrations, emphasizing the Arian/Indo-Iranian roots of the celebration. However, there is no mention of Nowruz or the traditions associated with it, the celebrations celebrated and the oldest part of the Avesta, the ancient Iranian Zoroastrian hymn, in the Achaemenid inscriptions, possibly indicating a celebration of non-Iranian roots.

We know that the Sumerian and Babylonian calendars in Mesopotamia were based on seasonal changes. Sedentary agriculture in Mesopotamia, the backbone of Babylon's economy, was largely dependent on seasonal changes and annual rainfall. After that, the beginning of spring was very important in Mesopotamia and celebrated as such.

Babylon also had an annual ceremony where the king had to go to the temple of Marduk in early spring and receive the royal sign of the god and the royal protection of the great god of Babylon. This annual renewal of mutual aid seems to symbolize the renewal of life that comes in the spring. We have decisive evidence of the adoption of this ritual by the Iranians when Cyrus invaded Babylon the Great and appointed his son Cambyses as his deputy.

On the other hand, Iranian tribes lived a nomadic way of life before the colonization of Iran, relying mainly on pastoralism rather than settled agriculture, so accurate tracking of seasonal changes was not necessary. . Their homeland in the steppes of Central Asia has very cold winters or hot summers, and the arrival of spring rarely has the same impact as in the more temperate lands to the south.

It can therefore be concluded that Nowruz has its original roots in the Mesopotamian celebration of the arrival of spring and was later adopted by the sedentary Iranian tribes, perhaps as early as the reign of the first adopted Achaemenid emperor period. It should be noted that if we accept this theory of adoption, we must not forget certain Iranian particularities which make this celebration a typically Iranian custom.

The most important of these features is the adaptation of the Iranian worldview in Nowruz rituals.

Although we have evidence that Nowruz was sometimes celebrated in early summer or mid-winter due to failures in maintaining the calendar during the mid-Sasanian period, we must remember that Nowruz has always had its origins in spring. The various branches of Iranian Gnosticism, popular in the late Sasanian and early Islamic periods and especially in Manichaeism, saw the world as the scene of a struggle between the forces of good and evil. Manichaeism and its magus religion, originating in Iran, defined darkness and cold as signs of evil and light as a force for good. In fact, the most distinctive feature of the Manichaean gods was their distancing from light, a fact that even influenced later Christianity and its concept of the aura. Therefore, it is easy for most people to associate winter with evil forces and see spring as the rebirth of light.

Then Nowruz is considered the beginning of the victory of light over darkness and the restoration of the world

Today's Nowruz

Today's Nowruz is the most important holiday for many West Asians. It is also the beginning of the official calendar of the peoples of Iran and Afghanistan. Based on the Sasanian solar calendar, perfected by the famous mathematician Omar Khayyam, it is one of the most accurate calendars in existence today, but was largely out of use after the 13th century CE. After centuries of calendar confusion and even the loss of the old month names, in the early 20th century the old month names were restored and Nowruz was designated as the first day of the month of Farvardin.

Nowruz is preceded by Chaharshanbe Suri, another 13-day celebration rooted in agricultural traditions.

Its official end is Sizdah Bedar, a national picnic day where everyone goes out into nature to enjoy the beauty of the revived world. The common and popular roots of Nowruz mean that there are no official or religious observances, although it is marked by a public holiday as the official New Year's Day. The thirteen days of Nowruz are dedicated to visiting family, giving gifts, and enjoying the company of family and friends. It is precisely because Nowruz is deeply rooted in the traditions of the Iranian people and in its multi-ethnic and extra-religious nature that it has survived. Nowruz is also a natural rebirth of nature which, despite its Iranian characteristics, can be easily celebrated by people all over the world!

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