International Day of Nowruz on 21 March: Festival's Intangible Cultural Heritage stands for hamony, hope and resilience

 

UNESCO-coordinated Nowruz festival  that marks the arrival of spring and symbolizes peace, amity and renewal around the world is going to observed from March 21 in the UN  as an Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) which is also the Pesian New Year Day. In India, Nowruz, also known as Navroz, is celebrated by the Parsi community in India and marks the beginning of spring. UNESCO believes that Nowruz is a thriving example of living heritage and it promises peace, solidarity and joy for tomorrow.

In one of her messages, Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO stated that Nowroz reflects human values such as 'building connections, promoting mutual respect, living harmoniously with nature, and promoting solidarity  and  peace  in  the  minds  of  people.'  "Given  its  contribution  to  cultural  diversity  and  harmony,  Nowruz  was  recognized  by  UNESCO  as  part  of  the  intangible  cultural  heritage of humanity in 2016.  In times of crisis, we need uplifting celebrations like these more than ever," she added 

She reminded, "The spirit of Nowruz – of connecting, of solidarity, of community, of hope, and also of resilience is captured beautifully in the Persian poet Saadi’s famous Bani Adam: “All men and women are to each other the limbs of a single body, and when this life we share wounds one of us, all share the hurt as if it were our own.”  

The AI overview of the festival mentions the following rituals and traditions associated with it:

  • Families gather around decorated tables symbolizing purity and prosperity, sharing special meals. 
  • People wear new clothes, visit relatives (especially elders), and exchange gifts, often handmade by artisans. 
  • Festivities include music, dance, traditional sports, and handicrafts. 
  • Special prayers are made in mosques by Muslims and in Fire Temples by Parsis. 
  • People greet each other with hugs, kisses, or by saying "Sal Mubarak" or "Nauroz Mubarak". 


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