Zoroastrianism's influence on Iranian culture and Nowruz:
the Persian New Year Story and photos by Isabella Marzban
W
ith the end of winter and start of spring, cozy evenings around the fireplace sipping hot chocolate are being replaced by afternoons at the beach, baking in the Florida sunlight. With March marking the end of winter, April and May bring forth new opportunities in the spring season along with a round of holiday celebrations from various religious groups. Most Christian, Catholic and Jewish Americans recognize spring as the season of Easter and Passover, leaving another major spring holiday hidden among the festive bliss. The Persian spring holiday, known as Nowruz, is celebrated
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by many Iranian Americans throughout the United States. Although a small portion of the American population, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran has accounted for over 1.5 million Iranian people who are permanently living in the United States. Florida has the fifth largest Iranian American population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, 2014-2018 American Community Survey. In order to carry tradition from Iran to the U.S., many Iranian Americans celebrate Nowruz during March. In Alachua County, Iranian students celebrate the upcoming holiday with members of the Gainesville Iranian Community.
What is Nowruz? The Iranian New Year (Persian New Year) is celebrated during spring in Iranian calendars, as Nowruz is the celebration of the spring equinox - the first day of spring -, which is March 20 and 21 in the United States. Before Nowruz celebrations begin, it's traditional for Iranians to go shopping, get food and visit family and friends. Furthermore, Iranians set a table - Haft-sin table - composed of several main things, including Sabze, Samanu, Senjed, Serke, Sib, Sir and Sumac. Sabze is the sprouts of wheat, barley or lentils and Samanu is a sweet wheat germ pudding. Senjed is the
Persian olive, Serke is vinegar, Sib is an apple and Sir is garlic.
How does Nowruz relate to Zoroastrianism?
"There is also a mirror, painted eggs, hyacinth with purple flowers, candles, a bowl of water, goldfish, coins, and traditional candies," said Hadi (Farhad) Ghasemi an Iranian student, celebrating Nowruz this year in the U.S. The Haf-sin table is prepared before the spring equinox along with a lunch, dinner and traditional music, which signifies the start of a good year, said Ghasemi. For Ghasemi, Nowruz is a time to prioritize visiting families and friends, which starts with greeting elders first and then the younger family members. According to Ghasemi, Nowruz is a way for members of the global Iranian community to gather, eat and drink in celebration of the new year.
The origins of Nowruz date back to the oldest monolithic religion in the world — Zoroastrianism. "This festival [Nowruz] is rooted in the Zoroastrian religion," Ghasemi said. "It has been celebrated by many communities for over 3000 years in Western Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, South Caucasus around Black Sea and Caspian Sea." An important aspect of Iranian culture besides Nowruz is the religion, Zoroastrianism, which has influenced Persian culture and practices that have withstood many generations, making Iran a country with a rich cultural
past. The three main pillars of Zoroastrianism are good thoughts, good will and good deeds. The major holy book of Zoroastrians is known as the Avesta, which has seventeen important songs called Gatha that are attributed to the religion's creator — Zoroaster. In the 9th century (the Common Era), a summarized version of the Avesta that included teachings about astrology, medicine and education were discovered and later influenced the teachings and foundations of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. How did Zoroastrianism influence world religions? A concept recognized in Zoroastrianism that has manifested in other monolithic religions is
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