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Celebrations for the Baha’i New Year were last observed on March 20th, after dusk. This is a time for a Baha’i to relax and let their hair down after a rigorous 19-day fast, one that kicked off on March 2nd and continued until March 20th, right before sunset. Also known as Naw-Ruz, the Baha’i New Year is celebrated at the onset of the vernal equinox. It is a religious holiday, when all Baha’is take a break from their daily chores. Both children and adults can enjoy this free time equally, as all the offices and schools are closed for the day.
March 21st is usually the date when Naw-Ruz is celebrated. It is basically a day to enjoy oneself and to have fun. People tend to use it as an occasion to reward themselves for having successfully completed the fasting season.
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Customary Events Leading Up to the Baha’i New Year
A week prior to the evening of the vernal equinox, when the New Year sets in, there are a few customs and traditions that are observed. On Naw-Ruz itself, gifts are exchanged. The most popular tradition is the haft-sin, also known as “the Seven S’s.” Seven objects that begin with the letter S (in the Persian language) are kept on a table, commonly including:
- Somaq (sumac berries)
- Sonbol (hyacinths)
- Senjed (dried oleaster fruit)
- Serkeh (vinegar)
- Sir (garlic)
- Sekkeh (coins)
- Sib (apples)
This is the usual way of setting the table for the Baha’i New Year celebrations.
Other Baha’i New Year Traditions
A prominent way of celebrating the Baha’i New Year involves tossing sprouted lentils into streams and rivulets. It is believed that these lentils will sweep away any ill luck from the last year.
Naw-Ruz celebrations have much in common with the Christian celebration of Easter. They are both centered around the joy of new life, and greeting a new day with lots of happiness and hope. Visiting friends, exchanging gifts, and setting off for a countryside picnic are some of the most common activities observed on the Baha’i New Year. However, one interesting aspect of Naw-Ruz is that the consumption of alcohol is forbidden, which sets the New Year celebrations of the Baha’is apart from many others.
As far as meals for Naw-Ruz are concerned, many types of recipes and dishes are tasted and prepared. Loved ones are invited over, and people go out to visit family and friends. Some of the common dishes served on this day include reshteh polo, dolmeh barg, and sabzi polo mahi.
Aside from the foods mentioned above, fruits, cakes, colored eggs, and a mirror and holy book can be seen on the dining table. Every dish is sure to have one of the abovementioned ingredients, regardless of what it is. The use of these ingredients is symbolic, indicating happiness and good luck while simultaneously driving away evil.
Naw-Ruz is celebrated all over the world, often wherever a Zoroastrian or Persian population is present. The exact date of the Baha’i New Year is determined by a unique Baha’i calendar that is made up of 19 months, each containing 19 days. Since this year the vernal equinox (and hence the Baha’i New Year) fell between March 21st and March 22nd, for the sake of convenience people observed it on March 21st so that the celebrations could take place on the same day throughout the world.
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