The United Nations(UN)’s International Day of Nowruz is annually observed on 21st March to promote the celebration of Nowrus, which promotes values of peace and solidarity between generations and within families as well as reconciliation and neighbourliness.
Nowruz:
i.Nowruz is the Iranian or Persian New Year celebrated by various ethnicities worldwide.
ii.Nowruz marks the first day of spring and is celebrated on the day of the astronomical vernal equinox, which usually occurs on 21 March.
iii.The word Nowruz, also spelt as Novruz, Navruz, Nooruz, Nevruz, Nauryz, means new day.
- The spelling and pronunciation may vary by country.
Significance of Nowruz:
i.Nowruz has been celebrated for over 3000 years in the Balkans, the Black Sea Basin, the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Middle East and other regions,
ii.It plays a significant role in strengthening the ties among peoples based on mutual respect and the ideals of peace and good neighbourliness.
iii.The traditions and rituals of Nowruz reflect the cultural and ancient customs of the civilizations of the East and West, which influenced those civilizations through the interchange of human values.
iv.The Celebration of Nowruz means the affirmation of life in harmony with nature, awareness of the inseparable link between constructive labour and natural cycles of renewal and a solicitous and respectful attitude towards natural sources of life.
Background:
i.The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/64/253 on 23rd February 2010 and proclaimed the 21st March of every year as the International Day of Nowruz.
- The resolution was adopted at the initiative of the countries that share this holiday.
- Under the agenda “Culture of Peace”, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Albania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey and Turkmenistan introduced the draft resolution “International Day of Nowruz” during the 64th session of UNGA.
ii.The first ever International Day of Nowruz was observed on 21st March 2010.
UNESCO & Nowruz:
In particular with relation to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, Nowruz was inscribed as an element in 2009, and extended in 2016, on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO), at the joint initiative of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Nowruz in India:
i.Parsis in India who follow the Zoroastrian calendar for their religious events, celebrate their new year in July or August.
ii.Persian Nowruz is celebrated by Parsis as Jamshed-e-Navroz
