In America and many other parts of the world, the new year is celebrated on the night of December 31 -- we count our years from winter to winter. But here in Tajikistan, people have traditionally celebrated the new year on March 21 -- they count the years from spring to spring. Tajiks say it makes sense to celebrate the coming of a new year at the time when the earth is renewing itself, at the time when snow is melting, grass is sprouting, and flowers are blooming. That's the origin of the Persian New Year, Navruz (Наврӯз), which means 'new day.'
Navruz is kind of like New Year's, Fourth of July and Easter all rolled into one giant holiday. But unlike those three American holidays, Navruz lasts several weeks! People start celebrating on the Wednesday before March 21 at a festival called Chorshanbasuri and the holiday is finally over on April 4, at a festival called Sezdah Badar. There are so many traditions associated with Navruz that I can't even describe them all. But the most important parts of Navruz are spending time with family, preparing and eating delicious food and spending time in nature to appreciate the end of the winter and the coming of spring.
