Navroz, the new year of Parsis started

Context

President Ram Nath Kovind extended greetings on the occasion of the Parsi new year Navroz.

About Navroz

• In Persian, ‘Nav’ stands for new, and ‘Roz’ stands for the day, which literally translates to ‘new day’.
• Iranians and the Parsi community have been celebrating the traditional New Year for the past 3,000 years.
• This is celebrated to promote peace, solidarity and friendship among people and different communities.
• The day also marks the beginning of spring and the renewal of nature.
• In India, prominent celebrations take place in Maharashtra and Gujarat, where a sizeable Parsi population resides.
• Navroz falls in the month of August, according to the Gregorian calendar.
• Navroz is also known as Jamshed-i-Navroz, after the Persian King, Jamshed.
• The king is credited with having created the Persian calendar, or the Shahenshahi calendar.
• It has been celebrated since 11th century CE to mark the New Year.
• United Nations officially recognized the "International Day of Nowruz" with the adoption of UN resolution 64/253 in 2010.

Features of the festival

• On this day, people declutter their houses, minds to get rid of unnecessary things.
• The Parsi community dresses up in their traditional attire, decorate their homes and prepare delicious food including Prawn Patio, Mori Dar, Patra Ni Macchi, Haleem, Akoori, Berry Pulao, PatraniMachhi and more.
• Parsis also visit the Fire Temple (Agiary) and offer fruits, sandalwood, milk and flowers on this auspicious day.