Happy Nowrooz

Celebration of Life

Nowrooz is the Iranian New Year festival. The word itself literally means "new day" in Persian (Farsi) and the festival marks the beginning of the solar year as well as the New Year on the Iranian and several other national calendars.
Nowrooz is the point when the oppressive presence of the cold winter finally begins to retrieve with the commencement of the lively and hopeful spring. This symbolic and poetic change corresponds to the mathematical instance of the sun leaving the zodiac of Pisces and entering the zodiacal sign of Aries, also known as the Spring Equinox.

History of Nowrooz: An anchor of hope

The renewal of nature is the essence of this multi-millennium old tradition. Originally held as a spring festival, it is believed to have first been acknowledged officially and named "Nowrooz" by a mythical Persian emperor, Jamshid. Others have credited the Achaemenid Dynasty (12th B.C.) for institutionalizing the Nowrooz festival.

Renewal: The Spirit of Season

As implied by its timing and natural significance, Nowrooz is a time of renewal and symbolizes rebirth, awakening, cleanliness and newness. A national tradition in almost all regions ofIran is the annual Nowrooz cleaning. Families wash their rugs and draperies, clean and wax their furniture and often repaint their homes' interior.
An almost iconic tradition associated with Nowrooz is when every person buys at least one set of new clothes. On the New Year day, which is the first day of the month of Farvardin (March 21), families visit elders and friends in their new clothes. The spirit of Nowrooz is visible on this day!

Taken from:

http://www.persianoutpost.com/htdocs/nowrooz.html