Nowruz Mobaarak!
Dear colleagues and friends,
Canada’s population comes from all regions of the world. To encourage you to explore our country’s rich diversity, each month we highlight an important date, event, festival or celebration from the Multicultural Celebrations Calendar.
This month, we highlight Nowruz, a new year celebration, which originated in ancient Persia and Zoroastrian religion as a New Year festival. This year, it is celebrated on March 20 by people living in Iran, Afghanistan, several Central Asian States and diaspora living in other countries including Canada.
Nowruz is an ancient festival that has been celebrated for over 3,000 years. It marks the first day of spring, the renewal of nature, and promotes values of peace and solidarity. The term Nowruz is a Persian (Farsi) compound word, consisting of the words “now” or “nau” (new) and ruz (day). In the book Nowruznama (Book of the New Year, which is attributed to Omar Khayyam, a well-known eleventh century Persian poet and mathematician), a vivid description of the celebration in the courts of the kings of Iran is provided.
Celebrations vary by region and the traditions of each culture. Nowruz is mostly celebrated in regions with cultural links to ancient Persia where people sit around a table with seven pieces of decoration and food that symbolize a Zoroastrian virtue. The items include: apples representing beauty, garlic representing good health, vinegar representing patience, sweet pudding representing fertility, green sprouts representing rebirth, and coins representing prosperity. Some families also add a mirror and candle for reflection into the future, a live fish in water as a symbol for the new life, and a bouquet of hyacinths representing spring. While it is also a religious festival for Zoroastrian people, who include a picture of Prophet Zarathustra, the followers of other faiths celebrate it as a cultural and secular festival.
On March 20, I invite you to wish your colleagues of Persian descent a “Happy Nowruz!”, “Nowruz Pirouz” or in Persian, “Saal-e-no mobaarak!”
If you would like that we highlight a cultural event to create awareness about the rich cultural diversity of Canada, please do not hesitate to write to me. That way, we all learn about each other, to promote mutual understanding, respect and collaboration.
Stay safe, stay well!
Respectfully,
Waheed Khan
President, National Consultation Team