Nowruz means ‘new day’ in Persian and is the most important festival of the year. It is also celebrated in a number of other countries across the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia, the Balkans and East Africa, and dates back at least 3,000 years. The holiday has changed over the thousands of years that it has been celebrated, and different regions have preserved or developed different traditions, as well as adding new ones. But wherever it is observed, it celebrates the original message of rebirth and renewal. Nowruz marks the spring equinox, when night and day are of equal length. This is usually on 20 or 21 March. It’s the day when winter changes into spring in the northern hemisphere, and it feels like a new beginning. It is followed by four days of public holidays, and schools and universities close for two weeks.
