Persian New Year festivities last 13 days during the month of March. The holiday — rooted in Zoroastrianism, an ancient religion that predates Christianity and Islam — has been celebrated for at least 3,000 years in Iran. But because of its Zoroastrian roots, it is observed worldwide, throughout Central and Western Asia and the Balkans, as well as in the United States and beyond.

“I love it as a holiday because it is elemental and seasonal,” said Persis Karim, director of the Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies at San Francisco State University. “It marks a new year, literally. It is not in the dead of the winter. As spring arrives, you are saying, ‘Welcome to this new year.’”

What is Nowruz?

Nowruz marks the first day of spring and signals the beginning of the Persian New Year and start of the Iranian calendar. Nowruz — other spellings include Norooz and Norouz — translates to “new day.”

The United Nations formally designated the Nowruz as an international holiday in 2010.

“I think the other thing that is lovely about Nowruz is that people celebrate it whether they are religious or not. It transcends class, religion and ethnicity,” Karim said.

When is the new year?

Nowruz falls on the vernal equinox, which can occur anytime between March 19 and 21. This year, Nowruz will fall on 2:58 p.m. Wednesday, March 20, in California.

Since Tehran is 11½ hours ahead of California, the new year will occur at 1:28 a.m. Thursday, March 21. But preparations and celebrations for Nowruz generally begin days before.

What year is it?

1398.

Since the 1920s (with the exception of a few years in the 1070s), Iran has followed a solar calendar, not the Islamic calendar, which is a lunar calendar. The Iranian calendar starts with the Prophet Muhammad’s pilgrimage to Medina, said Beeta Baghoolizadeh, an assistant professor of history and Africana Studies at Bucknell University.

The Iranian parliament adopted the current solar calendar in 1925.

What are the common greetings during this holiday?

There are several ways to wish people a happy new year. Most commonly used is “Saleh No Mobarak.”

People will also wish onto others that every day is a new day by saying, “Har roozetan Nowruz.”

How do you prepare for the new year?

As the last of the winter frost starts to melt and the blossoms start to bloom, Iranians start preparing their homes for the new year. It starts with a process called “khooneh takooi,” which literally translates to “shaking the house.”

In practice, it’s an aggressive approach to spring cleaning where there isn’t a nook or cranny that is left untouched. Families also rid their homes of junk and often donate many of their belongings, including old clothes.

Then it’s time to shop for new clothes so they can start the new year fresh.

“The preparations involve cleaning your house, tidying up, getting rid of things you no longer need and, of course, making the (Haft-Sin) for the new year,” Karim said.

What is the Haft-Sin?

As the last speck of dust is wiped away, it’s time to set up the main dining room table at home for the Haft-Sin. Haft-Sin is an arrangement of items that symbolizes different hopes for the new year. Traditionally, there are always seven items, all of which start with the Farsi letter, “Sin” or س, on the table:

Sabzeh: Wheat, barley or lentils sprouts. The sprouts symbolize rebirth and renewal. Many people begin the preparations in the beginning of March as it takes several weeks to grow. The seeds are placed in a bowl and watered daily. Once the Sabzeh begins to sprout, it is placed on the table for the new year altar.

“It is the centerpiece because, in a sense, they really represent the idea of new life and new birth,” Karim said.

Samanoo: a sweet pudding that symbolizes wealth and fertility.

Sib: Apples for beauty and nutrition.

Seer: Garlic for medicine.

Sumac: A spice made from red berries that symbolizes the color of the sunrise.

Serkeh: Vinegar for age, wisdom and patience.

Senjed: Dried fruits for love.

It’s not uncommon for many families to add other sentimental and meaningful items to their Haft-Sin tables.

A mirror to symbolize reflection. Candles for light. Coins for prosperity. Hyacinths for beauty and fragrance. (It’s just an added bonus that the Farsi word for coins and hyacinths both start with “sin.” Coins is sekkeh in Farsi and hyacinths are “sonbol.”)

Families often have their children paint eggs and place them on the table as a symbol of fertility. Sometimes, for the truly motivated, several live goldfish are put on display as part of the Haft-Sin table to represent new life.

And we can’t forget the “book of wisdom.” For some people, the book of wisdom is the Koran. For others, it’s the Shahnameh by Ferdowsi, a long poem consisting of 62 stories and 990 chapters, that is the “national epic” of Greater Iran.

Others might place a book of poetry by Hafiz, a beloved Iranian poet. It’s always fun to make a wish and open the book of poems by Hafiz to see what poem it lands on. Whatever poem you open the book to is your fortune.

“Even after all this time, the sun never says to the Earth, ‘You owe me.’”

Look what happens with a love like that.

It lights the whole sky.”

— Hafiz

What is Chaharshanbe Suri?

Celebrated on the last Tuesday before Nowruz, people come together, build bonfires and jump over the blazes while chanting “Zardi-ye man az toh, sorkhi-ye toh az man!” This translates to, “Give me your beautiful red color, and take back my sickly pallor.”

The tradition echoes the theme of Nowruz: renewal. It is about wiping the slate of the past year clean and starting fresh.

“I just love that idea that there is this act of connecting with light and fire, which is really interesting because during the winter solstice, (Iranians) welcome the darkness by lighting candles,” Karim said. “And in the spring holiday, (Iranians) welcome the light and ask it to take away your darkness, your sickly pallor, your winter heaviness.”

This year, Chaharshanbe Suri falls on March 19.

What is Sizdeh-Bedar?

Once the clock strikes 2:58 p.m. in California and it’s Nowruz, Iranians kick off a 13-day celebration that involves visiting families and friends to pay their respects. This could weigh heavily on children who might get sick of yet another Persian party, but children often receive cash gifts from their elders at these gatherings. Not a bad trade-off.

On the 13th day, Nowruz celebrations come to an end with one final picnic in the park, known as Sizdeh-Bedar.

“They go to the nature. People go to orchards and open spaces,” said Nazy Kaviani, the executive director of Diaspora Arts Connection, a nonprofit organization that organizes cultural and artist events in the Bay Area.

It is tradition for Iranians to take the sabzeh from their Haft-Sin table to Sizdeh-Bedar to throw into a river or another body of water.

“You take the long needles of the grass — they have been growing for almost a month so they’re really long — make a wish and tie a knot. Then you throw it in the water,” Kaviani said. “The water will make the knots open. When the knots open, your wish will come true.”

What are the culinary highlights of Nowruz?

Once again, we see that theme of renewal that heavily defines Nowruz pop up in its culinary highlights.

On Chaharshanbe Suri, Iranians will eat ash reshteh, a vegetable and noodle soup that has red kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils, parsley and cilantro. The soup also has spinach and scallion. Reshteh polo, a delicious rice dish with thin noodles, is also an option on Chaharshanbe Suri. The rice has an assortment of golden raisins, black raisins and dates. The noodles in the Ash Reshteh and Reshteh Polo are significant because, if you eat it, then you will be one step closer to obtaining your goals for the new year, Kaviani said.

On Nowruz, it is tradition for Iranians to eat Sabzi Polo (herbed rice) Ba Mahi (fish). The herbs used in the rice (and in the Ash Reshteh for Chaharshanbe Suri) are a symbol of rebirth. The fish, or mahi, symbolizes life. The herbs in the rice are generally dill, chives or scallions, parsley and coriander. These herbs vary based on what is available. The fish also varies from tilapia to salmon.

Sometimes, Kuku Sabzi is served as a side dish for the Nowruz dinner. In keeping with the trend, Kuku Sabzi is a heavily herbed dish. The egg frittata is also one of few vegetarian Iranian dishes. The herbs used are dill, parsley, chives and cilantro.

On Sizdeh-Bedar, the culinary preparations might seem simpler, but they don’t disappoint in presentation and taste. For one, chicken and koobideh (ground beef) kabobs are an easy food to eat at a picnic, especially with some lavash bread. (Pro tip: when you take the kabobs off the barbecue, place them on the bread so that the juices soak the bread. That bread is the most anticipated part of the meal.)

Salad Olvieh, a chicken, potato and egg salad, is also an option on Sizdeh-Bedar.

And of course, throughout March, there is ajil and shiniri. Ajil is a mix of dried nuts and fruits that can be found in any Iranian household. Shirini is an assortment of cookies and sweets. Which only makes sense as shirini literally translates from Farsi to “sweets” in English. One popular cookie for Nowruz is the Shirini Keshmeshi: a sugar cookie with raisins.

Celebrate Nowruz in the Bay Area

Norooz Spring Festival

Hosted by Norooz Outreach and Diaspora Arts Connection, this is an inaugural all-day event in San Francisco’s Union Square featuring live music, food, dance, Persian calligraphy and other activities.

10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, March 9. Free. Union Square, 333 Post St., S.F. https://bit.ly/2EFnQwu

Iranian Women in Network Community Fair

Hosted by the Persian Center in Berkeley, this is an all-day event with art, music and food.

11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, March 10. Free. Persian Center, 2029 Durant Ave., Berkeley. https://bit.ly/2BZ6x7Y

Nowruz Performance and Celebration

Students of the Danville Nima Farsi are scheduled to perform at this annual event. Refreshments are served.

2-6 p.m. Sunday, March 10. Free with registration. Dougherty Valley Performing Arts Center, 1055 Albion Road, San Ramon. https://bit.ly/2Tpupvk

2019 Nowruz Festival and Bazaar

Hosted by the Iranian Scholarship Foundation in Cupertino, an event with music, dance, food and a market selling Haft-Sin items.

10 a.m. Sunday, March 17. Free. Quinlan Community Center, 10185 N. Stelling Road, Cupertino. https://bit.ly/2GUripE

Persian Center’s 20th Annual Chahar Shanbeh Suri Celebration

A block party hosted by the Persian Center in Berkeley, this free event features jumping over bonfires, food, music and dancing.

6-10 p.m. Tuesday, March 19. Free. Persian Center, 2029 Durant Ave., Berkeley. https://bit.ly/2tJy9JN

Nowruz Meet and Greet Celebration at San Francisco City Hall

Hosted by Mayor London Breed and District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safai, in partnership with Persian Women in Tech. The event is free and open to the public.

Noon-3 p.m. Friday, March 22. Free. San Francisco City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B Goodlett Place, S.F. https://bit.ly/2tJA1lN

Nowruz Gala at San Francisco City Hall

A three-course, seated dinner with music and dancing, hosted by the city of San Francisco.

6-11 p.m. Friday, March 22. $150-$500. San Francisco City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B Goodlett Place, S.F. https://bit.ly/2XwtdFJ

Berkeley-Stanford Nowruz Celebration

Hosted by Iranian Student Association in America and Persian Student Association at Stanford University, the event features dance performances and a show by comedian Arman Tajarrod. The evening includes a full buffet dinner.

5-11 p.m. Sunday, March 24. $49-$150. Pauley Ballroom, Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union, Second Floor, Berkeley. https://bit.ly/2NAXSNz