Iranians all over the country have celebrated the ancient tradition of Sizdah Bedar or the Nature’s Day by spending some quality time with their loved ones out in the wilderness.

Every year, Iranians go outdoors for picnics, in the parks or the countryside on the 13th day of Persian New Year, called Nowruz, as part of rituals to mark the festival of nature. They also take the opportunity to preserve the environment.

The day, which is celebrated on the 13th day of the first Persian calendar month of Farvardin, usually falls on April 1 but in leap years, it coincides with April 2.

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On this day families enjoy the final day of their New Year holidays in the woods, mountains or along streams and rivers to avoid the bad luck associated with the number thirteen.

Low temperature and a rainy weather in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Friday did not stop people from rejoining with the nature on the 13th day of spring to celebrate the deep-rooted occasion.

Sizdah Bedar gives Iranians a chance to play outdoor games, have special food and enjoy the fresh smell of spring.

One of the popular traditions of the Nature Day is the knotting of blades of grass by the young unmarried girls in the hope of marrying and expressing their wish for good fortune in life and love.