UN Holidays - International Day of Navruz (Navruz)

March 21st is a truly new day every year This is how the name of the Navruz holiday is translated from Persian Sometimes there is an incorrect translation, New Year Indeed, in Afghanistan and Iran, the next calendar year begins on March 21 The choice of this date seems rational, reasonable and convenient You can divide the year into 12 or 13 months, you can agree that there will be seven or ten days in a week, 28 days or about thirty in a month In any case, it will turn out to be a convention invented by man A day in which daylight is equal to night, the Sun rises almost exactly in the east and sets almost exactly in the west, does not depend on any symbols or agreements and is observed everywhere, with the exception of the polar regions It is after this spring day at the end of March that stable weather sets in for the start of agricultural work, the active awakening of nature begins, the day noticeably becomes longer than the night It's time to celebrate the New Year, which is what many people do This is connected with ancient agricultural customs and has a history of almost three thousand years Such a high significance of Nowruz and the involvement of a large number of people in the tradition of this holiday prompted the United Nations to establish a new date in the UN calendar, International Nowruz Day The holiday is celebrated annually on March 21 The traditions of celebrating the “new day” are associated with renewal and cleansing It is considered a good sign and a good omen to clean up your homes, make peace, pay off debts, and visit relatives and close friends In almost all cultures, a typical dish for this holiday is sumalak - a dish made from wheat sprouts sprouted especially for this occasion It is customary to prepare seven vegetable dishes; in some places even the names of the dishes must begin with the letter “C” The seven in this case is a symbol of prosperity and abundance that the new agricultural year should bring Ban Ki-moon, acting UN Secretary-General at the time of the founding of International Nowruz Day in 2010, noted that the tradition of this date goes back so far into the past, when even writing did not exist This allows us to erase boundaries, overcome differences, unite and confront crises Caring for the environment brings closer people and promotes friendship between very different cultures Which, of course, is consistent with the values ​​of the United Nations After all, hope for renewal is a powerful driving force