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NOU ROUZ
OF 2008 (3746)
IN
BRUSSELS AND PARIS

From article by:Fariborz Rahnamoon

Nou Rouz is one of the only scientific New Year celebrated in the world today. 3733 years ago
Zarathushtra the sage of ancient Iran coined the word “Nou Rouz” which means the “New Day” as
against ‘Sal e Nou’ which means “New Year”. It was to record the phenomenon that occurred on
the New Year of 1725 BCE in Sistan where Zarathushtra had his planetarium.
In 1725 BCE the vernal equinox coincided with sunrise at Sistan whereby the New Year and the
New Day began at the same time. This phenomenon happens every year at different point on earth
but repeats at about the same longitude once in about a millennium.
According to recorded history on the spring equinox of 487 BCE Nou Rouz was celebrated at
Takth-e-Jamshid (Persepolis), when the first rays of the rising sun lighted the square stone set in
the central hall of the Apadana palace. This celebration was no coincidence, the Persians scholars
and astronomers had pre calculated this event and Darius the Great had designed the Apadana for
this great event.

The fact is that Nou Rouz or – the coinciding of the sunrise with the equinox - happens every year
at a different location on earth and the ancient followers of Zarathushtra celebrated it as a special
event whenever it occurred in their kingdom
.
This coming Nou Rouz on 20 March 2008, the equinox will coincide with sunrise in Europe.
At the time of the equinox the sun will rise at about 4 degrees longitude.
This happens to be close to Brussels and Paris. The equinox will be at 05:48:19 hours
GMT/UTC while the sun will rise in Brussels at 05:45 and in Paris at 05:53 GMT/UTC.

The Nou Rouz of 2009 will happen on the North American continent where the sun will rise at
about 86 degrees longitude at the time of the equinox (11:43 GMT/UTC). This happens to pass
close to Chicago where the sun will rise at 11:54GMT/UTC and Louisville Kentucky where the sun
will rise at 11:46GMT/UTC.

Nou Rouz of 2010 will happen in the ocean and 2011 in Mongolia and China so let us come
together and revive Nou Rouz in its true colors for the next two years for it occurs where our
communities reside.

The Iranian Naw-Ruz

 

From article by Dr. John Walbridge

Naw-Ruz is the first day of Farvardin, the first month of the Iranian solar year. Since ancient times it has been the great national holiday of Iran, the only holiday celebrated by more than one religious group.

The origins of Naw-Ruz are unknown but it obviously began as a pastoral fertility festival. Legend attributes its foundation to the mythical antediluvian king Jamshid. Naw-Ruz and ihrajan, the corresponding festival of the autumnal equinox in September, are the two great annual festivals of Zoroastrianism. Originally a sombre festival dedicated to the spirits of the dead was held for five days ten days before Naw-Ruz, followed by a further five days corresponding to the Bahá'í Ayyam-i-Ha. Later Naw-Ruz gradually became a secular holiday and as such it continued to be observed even after the triumph of Islam in Iran. Muslim kings in Iran, like their Zoroastrian predecessors, celebrated Naw-Ruz with great magnificence. As late as the nineteenth century Naw-Ruz was the only day the Shah would dine with other people.

Shi`i traditions attributed to the Imams endorsed the observance of Naw-Ruz, which was, it was said, the day of many events of great religious significance, among them God's first covenant with mankind, the first rising of the sun, the grounding of Noah's ark on Ararat, Gabriel's first appearance to Muhammad, the destruction of the idols in the Ka`bih by `Alí, Muhammad's appointment of `Ali as His successor, the appearance of the Qa'im, and the final triumph of the Qa'im over the Antichrist. Such traditions echoed similar accounts of Naw-Ruz found in Zoroastrian literature.

Naw-Ruz is celebrated rather like the Christian Easter, with many symbols indicating spring and renewal. A week or so before the holiday lentils are placed in a dish to sprout into a mass of green blades. On the day of Naw-Ruz the family gathers in new or freshly cleaned clothes. The table is decorated with fruit, cakes, coloured eggs and other treats, as well as symbolic objects such as a holy book and a mirror. Among the best known customs of Naw-Ruz is the haft-sin -- the `seven S's'. These are seven objects beginning -- in Persian -- with the letter `S', such as hyacinths, apples, lilies, silver coins, garlic, vinegar and rue, decoratively arranged on a table. A great deal of time is spent exchanging visits with friends and relations. The celebrations end on the thirteenth day of Naw-Ruz with a picnic in the country. The sprouted lentils are thrown into running water, carrying away the bad luck of the previous year.

Naw-Ruz is observed wherever Iranian culture has penetrated, notably among the Zoroastrians of India and in the migrant Iranian communities around the world.

The Bábi and Bahá'í Naw-Ruz


From article by Dr. John Walbridge

In the Badi` calendar of the Báb, Naw-Ruz is the day of Bahá of the month of Bahá, a day called by the Báb `the Day of God' (yawmu'llah). It was also the `Day of the Point' (yawm-i-nuqtih) -- i.e. the day of the Báb. Finally, it was a day associated with Him Whom God shall make manifest, the Promised One of the Báb. The remaining eighteen days of the month were associated with the eighteen Letters of the Living, an indication that the Báb envisioned the Naw-Ruz festivities encompassing the nineteen days of the month of Bahá, just as the traditional Iranian Naw-Ruz festivities last thirteen days. During Naw-Ruz the Báb permitted the use of musical instruments and other luxuries prohibited at other times. During the night of Naw-Ruz each believer was to recite 361 times the verse `God beareth witness that there is no God but Him, the Ineffable, the Self-Subsistent'; and during the day, `God beareth witness that there is no God but Him, the Precious, the Beloved'. Fasting was prohibited during the whole month of Bahá.

During the six years of His mission, the Báb and His followers observed Naw-Ruz, although it is difficult to say how much this represents a distinctively Báb­ holy day.

Bahá'u'lláh adopted the Báb­ holy day of Naw-Ruz as the feast day following the fast and stressed that it is associated with the Most Great Name, bearing as it does Bahá'u'lláh's own name. `Abdu'l-Bahá explained the significance of Naw-Ruz in terms of the symbolism of the new life of spring.