Poppyposts

With 2013 now two months old, our New Year celebrations and most likely all those well-intentioned resolutions, are already long forgotten. For Persians however, they still have their New Year, or Nowruz (literally New Day) to look forward to and celebrate in March. Using the Iranian calendar this will be year 1392.

Nowruz is not an Islamic festival or celebration, rather it has roots in Zoroastrianism and primarily celebrates the Spring Equinox, the first day of Spring; the arrival of new life and rebirth as nature responds to the longer, warmer days and brings a welcome sense of new beginnings, celebrating the light (the good) winning over the darkness (the bad)

Preparations in Iran are already well underway for Nowruz in a just a few weeks with families spring-cleaning their house, “Khouneh Tekouni” (“shaking the house”) buying new clothes and filling rooms with traditional Spring flowers such as hyacinths and…