Persian Culture: Nasreddin, Nowruz, Persianate Society, Nozhat Al-Majales, Iranian Folklore, Persianization, Iranian Studies

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 34. Chapters: Nasreddin, Nowruz, Persianate society, Nozhat al-Majales, Iranian folklore, Persianization, Iranian studies, Indo-Persian culture, Sex segregation in Iran, Bidoun, Firdeusi Institute, The Yellow Dogs Band, Spandarmazgan, Persian wine, Alavi Foundation, Iranshenasi, List of Persian language magazines, Ustad Hamahang, Persian mysticism, F l-g sh, Scandinavian Society for Iranian Studies, Naneh Sarma. Excerpt: Nowr z (Persian: , IPA: , originally "New Light") is the name of the Iranian New Year in Iranian calendars and the corresponding traditional celebrations. Nowruz is also widely referred to as the Persian New Year. Nowruz is celebrated and observed by Iranic peoples and the related cultural continent and has spread in many other parts of the world, including parts of Central Asia, Caucasus, South Asia, Northwestern China, the Crimea and some groups in the Balkans. Nowruz marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the year in Iranian calendar. It is celebrated on the day of the astronomical vernal equinox, which usually occurs on March 21 or the previous/following day depending on where it is observed. As well as being a Zoroastrian holiday and having significance amongst the Zoroastrian ancestors of modern Iranians, the same time is celebrated in parts of the South Asian sub-continent as the new year. The moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator and equalizes night and day is calculated exactly every year and Iranian families gather together to observe the rituals. Originally being a Zoroastrian festival, and the holiest of them all, Nowruz is believed to have been invented by Zoroaster himself, although there is no clear date of origin. Since the Achaemenid era the official year has begun with the New Day when the Sun leaves the zodiac of Pisces and enters the zodiacal sign of Aries, signifying the Sp...