Marjohn Sheikhi

There is something truly magnificent about poetry and literature in any language. One could say poetry is language in its most exalted form, where words’ every conceivable and unfathomable protentional is dragged out and put on display. There is something magical about words and poetry has the capacity to exercise mastery over this magic, not to tame it, no, but the exact opposite: to give it space and purpose to run wild and free.

You might be surprised but Christmas is not the only new year tradition which is observed across the world; Nowruz is, too. Nowruz, or the Persian New Year, with its Iranian origins, is a two-week-long tradition of joyful experiences, loving moments and connectedness, and is celebrated in many countries besides Iran, including Afghanistan.

March 20, 2021, may not mean much to most people in the world, but it is a very special day for people in Iran, and a few other countries, as well. It’s the start of a 13-day long, 3000-year tradition called Nowruz, and I’m going to tell you what this ancient tradition is all about and why it is so dear to so many Iranian people and other ethnic groups in the world. In technical terms, Nowruz is the day of the vernal equinox and marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.