Naw-Ruz: The Baha'i New Year
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Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: John Walbridge, Naw-Ruz: The Baha'i New Year, bahai-library.com.
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Naw-Rúz: The Bahá'í New Year

John Walbridge
published in Sacred Acts, Sacred Space, Sacred Time: Bahá'í Studies volume 1

Oxford: George Ronald, 1996

Naw-Ruz (`New Day') is the Bahá'í and Iranian new year, which occurs on the
date of the vernal equinox, about 21 March. It is one of the nine Bahá'í holy
days on which work is suspended.

The Iranian Naw-Ruz
Naw-Ruz is the first day of Farvardin, the first month of the Iranian solar
year. Since ancient times it has been the great national holiday of Iran, the
only holiday celebrated by more than one religious group.

The origins of Naw-Ruz are unknown but it obviously began as a pastoral
fertility festival. Legend attributes its foundation to the mythical
antediluvian king Jamshid. Naw-Ruz and Mihrajan, the corresponding festival of
the autumnal equinox in September, are the two great annual festivals of
Zoroastrianism. Originally a sombre festival dedicated to the spirits of the
dead was held for five days ten days before Naw-Ruz, followed by a further
five days corresponding to the Bahá'í Ayyam-i-Ha. Later Naw-Ruz gradually
became a secular holiday and as such it continued to be observed even after
the triumph of Islam in Iran. Muslim kings in Iran, like their Zoroastrian
predecessors, celebrated Naw-Ruz with great magnificence. As late as the
nineteenth century Naw-Ruz was the only day the Shah would dine with other
people.

Shi`i traditions attributed to the Imams endorsed the observance of Naw-Ruz,
which was, it was said, the day of many events of great religious
significance, among them God's first covenant with mankind, the first rising
of the sun, the grounding of Noah's ark on Ararat, Gabriel's first appearance
to Muhammad, the destruction of the idols in the Ka`bih by `Ali, Muhammad's
appointment of `Ali as His successor, the appearance of the Qa'im, and the
final triumph of the Qa'im over the Antichrist. Such traditions echoed similar
accounts of Naw-Ruz found in Zoroastrian literature.

Naw-Ruz is celebrated rather like the Christian Easter, with many symbols
indicating spring and renewal. A week or so before the holiday lentils are
placed in a dish to sprout into a mass of green blades. On the day of Naw-Ruz
the family gathers in new or freshly cleaned clothes. The table is decorated
with fruit, cakes, coloured eggs and other treats, as well as symbolic objects
such as a holy book and a mirror. Among the best known customs of Naw-Ruz is
the haft-sin -- the `seven S's'. These are seven objects beginning -- in
Persian -- with the letter `S', such as hyacinths, apples, lilies, silver
coins, garlic, vinegar and rue, decoratively arranged on a table. A great deal
of time is spent exchanging visits with friends and relations. The
celebrations end on the thirteenth day of Naw-Ruz with a picnic in the
country. The sprouted lentils are thrown into running water, carrying away the
bad luck of the previous year.

Naw-Ruz is observed wherever Iranian culture has penetrated, notably among the
Zoroastrians of India and in the emigré Iranian communities around the world.
`Naw-Ruz' is occasionally used as a personal name in Iran.

The Babi and Bahá'í Naw-Ruz
In the Badi` calendar of the Bab, Naw-Ruz is the day of Baha of the month of
Baha, a day called by the Bab `the Day of God' (yawmu'llah). It was also the
`Day of the Point' (yawm-i-nuqtih) -- i.e. the day of the Bab. Finally, it
was a day associated with Him Whom God shall make manifest, the Promised One
of the Bab. The remaining eighteen days of the month were associated with the
eighteen Letters of the Living, an indication that the Bab envisioned the
Naw-Ruz festivities encompassing the nineteen days of the month of Baha, just
as the traditional Iranian Naw-Ruz festivities last thirteen days. During
Naw-Ruz the Bab permitted the use of musical instruments and other luxuries
prohibited at other times. During the night of Naw-Ruz each believer was to
recite 361 times the verse `God beareth witness that there is no God but Him,
the Ineffable, the Self-Subsistent'; and during the day, `God beareth witness
that there is no God but Him, the Precious, the Beloved'. Fasting was
prohibited during the whole month of Baha. During the six years of His
mission, the Bab and His followers observed Naw-Ruz, although it is difficult
to say how much this represents a distinctively Babi holy day. Bahá'u'lláh
adopted the Babi holy day of Naw-Ruz as the feast day following the fast and
stressed that it is associated with the Most Great Name, bearing as it does
Bahá'u'lláh's own name. `Abdu'l-Bahá explained the significance of Naw-Ruz in
terms of the symbolism of the new life of spring. Bahá'u'lláh defines Naw-Ruz
as the Bahá'í day on which the vernal equinox occurs. Thus, even if the
equinox should occur just before sunset, that day -- which in the Bahá'í
calendar began at the moment of sunset on the previous day -- is Naw-Ruz. At
present, however, Naw-Ruz is fixed as 21 March for Bahá'ís in all countries
outside the Middle East, regardless of exactly when the equinox occurs.

Naw-Ruz is one of the nine Bahá'í holy days on which work is to be suspended.
It is generally observed with a meeting for prayer and celebration -- often
combined with a dinner since the sunset on which Naw-Ruz begins ends the last
day of the Bahá'í fast. As with all Bahá'í holy days, there are few fixed
rules for observing Naw-Ruz, although Iranian Bahá'ís often follow Iranian
traditions. Many Bahá'ís use Naw-Ruz as a day of gift-giving. Bahá'ís do not
usually observe Naw-Ruz for longer than one day. Since Naw-Ruz is the first
day of a Bahá'í month, it is also the day of a nineteen day feast. It is not
permitted to combine this feast with the observance of the holy day.

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-- Naw-Ruz: The Baha'i New Year (Used by permission of the curator)