Nowruz 2024: All you need to know about the Persian festival that Google Doodle is celebrating!

Nowruz, the Persian or Iranian New Year, falls on March 20 this year. The festival, which usually falls between March 19 and March 21, marks the first day of the Iranian Solar Hijri calendar. It also coincides with the spring equinox. The Farsi word ‘Nowruz’ translates to ‘new day,’ reflecting a time of renewal and new beginnings. 

To celebrate the occasion, Iranian artist Pendar Yousefi created a Google Doodle drawing from his childhood memories of Nowruz. He captured this by illustrating two animal friends in a flower-filled courtyard as they celebrate the onset of spring under a blossoming tree. 

A central custom that is practised during the festival is haft- sīn. Families put together seven items including wheat, sweet pudding, garlic and apple. Each item symbolises rebirth, good health, abundance, love and other elements that are important in Persian culture. 

Nowruz, which is rooted in Zoroastrianism, is now celebrated by over 300 million people in countries including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Turkey, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

The celebration lasts for 13 days and is kickstarted with a traditional spring cleaning of houses. On the 13th day or Sizdah Bedar, people spend time outdoors, usually picnicking with their close ones.

For the ones celebrating the festival in India this year, it falls on two dates as per different traditional calendars. While the first celebration will take place on March 20, the second one will follow on August 15.

The United Nations officially recognises March 21 as the International Day of Nowruz.