Fatema Hosseini/Borderless MagazineSpring kicks off the return of Nowruz, a 3,000-year-old celebration that marks the start of the Persian calendar year.
Millions of people around the world are getting ready to embark on a 3,000-year-old celebration of spring today: Nowruz. It’s a celebration of renewal, the triumph of light over darkness, and the hope for new beginnings. Nowruz, also known as “New Day,” marks the start of the Persian calendar year- typically falling between March 19-21.
Nowruz is celebrated slightly differently across cultures and communities, with distinct traditions, food and activities. But regardless of the culture, it’s a time that ties communities through large gatherings of friends and families who feast, dance, read poetry and spend time together ahead of new beginnings.
Borderless Magazine spoke with communities to find out how they are celebrating this tradition away from home.
Want to receive stories like this in your inbox every week?
Sign up for our free newsletter.
Iran
A central feature of Iranian Nowruz celebrations is the Haft-Sin table, which consists of seven symbolic items, each holding special significance:
- Apples (seeb) symbolize beauty
- Garlic (seer) symbolize health
- Vinegar (serkeh) symbolizes patience
- Hyacinth (sonbol) symbolizes spring
- Pudding (samanu) symbolizes fertility
- Sprouts (sabzeh) symbolize rebirth
- Coins (sekeh) symbolize prosperity
For Talla Saghafi Mountjoy, the director of programs at the Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression, Nowruz is more than a holiday — it is a vital connection to her Iranian identity that she hopes to pass down to her children.
“It’s really easy to lose your identity because most Iranians in the diaspora cannot travel back to Iran safely, so it’s very easy to just forget about it,” she said.
As a mother of two and raised in the U.S., Mountjoy says it’s important to preserve her roots because it’s, “simply beautiful and joyful.” She hopes to raise her two children to be “100% Iranian and 100% American,” ensuring they engage in Nowruz traditions.
Preparation for Nowruz starts a few weeks before the first day of spring. It involves deep cleaning, buying gifts, new clothes and using festival ingredients included in the Haft-Sin.
On Chaharshanbe Suri (Red Wednesday), the eve of the last Wednesday before Nowruz, Iranian families light bonfires and jump over them. This tradition symbolizes the burning of misfortunes from the past year and the purification of their souls for the year ahead.
Mountjoy hopes to share Iranian culture beyond her immediate community. She started an affinity group called Iranian Families and Friends at her children’s lab school at the University of Chicago. Families there can participate in cultural storytelling, celebrations and educational events.
“It’s important for my kids, who are Iranian, to continue maintaining these traditions so they know where they’re coming from and the long history that is passed on through them,” she said. “It’s important for non-Iranians to learn about Nowruz because it helps diversify their way of thinking.”
Afghanistan
In Afghanistan, Nawruz (Nowruz) preparation begins a month in advance, with people cleaning their homes, buying new clothes and making other preparations. Celebrations often last two weeks, during which families and friends visit each other and host various gatherings.
Hamida Amiri, cofounder of the Afghan American Student Association (AASA), said Nawruz is the start of the Afghan New Year, symbolizing renewal and hope.
“Nawruz holds special significance—it represents a fresh start as nature begins to grow and renew itself,” she said. “It reminds us that there is always another opportunity for positive change and to follow our dreams.”
In Afghanistan, Nawruz is enthusiastically celebrated across different provinces, each with unique customs. Some of the activities include flower festivals, horse racing, wrestling, flying kites, and preparing Haft Mewa (seven fruits), which have deep cultural and historical roots. Haft Mewa symbolizes prosperity, renewal, and unity. It is a sweet compote made from seven dried fruits and nuts, such as raisins, almonds, pistachios, dried apricots, walnuts, dried oleaster, and dates.
However, the scale of celebrations has significantly changed since the Taliban’s takeover of the country in 2021. Public gatherings have been restricted and major events have been banned. The Taliban considers Nawruz “unIslamic” and has attempted to suppress it. Yet, many Afghans still celebrate it privately by visiting nature and holding small family gatherings.
For Amiri, Nawruz in the U.S. is different but still cherished. The Afghan community in Chicago organizes an outdoor event to celebrate the new year by having traditional music, dancing, games, and Afghan food.
While celebrations in the U.S. may feel more condensed than the two-week-long festivities in Afghanistan, Amiri remains committed to keeping the tradition alive.
“My love for celebrating Nawruz with my family and friends is as strong as ever, and I look forward to it every year,” she said.
Kurdistan
For the Kurdish community, Nowruz is deeply intertwined with cultural identity and resistance. As one of the largest ethnic groups in the Middle East without a nation-state, Kurds face ongoing oppression in Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria. Despite comprising around one-fifth of Turkey’s population, the Kurdish community struggles to maintain their identity, culture and traditions due to isolation and repression by the Turkish government.
Bahadin Kerborani, the president of the Kurdish Cultural Center of Illinois, sees Nowruz as a unifying force for Kurds in Chicago and beyond.
“Because we don’t have our own nation-state, so many people don’t know where we are from, so it makes our story difficult to tell,” he said. “We are trying to tell our stories – who we are, why we celebrate Nowruz, and why Nowruz is important.”
After years of displacement, restrictions and statelessness, Kerborani remarks that banning the waving of the Kurdish flag and wearing Kurdish colors or traditional Kurdish clothing is still practiced in parts of Syria, Turkey and Iran. By celebrating the culture, the Kurdish Cultural Center of Illinois hopes to preserve and spread it across Chicago.
“It is a cultural holiday, we are going to wear our national dress and have our Kurdish colors or flag that represent us,” he said. “Here in Chicago, we see it as an act of resistance so that we can preserve our culture and our relationships with Kurds and non-Kurds.”
As the most important festival in Kurdish culture, Nowruz centers around spending time with family and friends in nature to celebrate the coming of spring. Similar to other communities, Kurds often light bonfires to represent the passing of winter and the arrival of the season of light.
“The people just want to dance, come together and celebrate this day,” Kerborani said. “Some celebrate with a picnic, they go to the mountains or other places . . . Because we are still not 100% free to celebrate it, it is more worthy to celebrate.”
Kyrgyzstan
In Chicago, the Kyrgyz community actively participates in Nooruz celebrations by showcasing their culture through musical performances, traditional attire, and cultural displays. The events offer attendees an immersive experience of Kyrgyz customs and heritage.
Nurtazhi Bekishova, 64, who is a regular traveler from Kyrgyzstan to the U.S., plays a special role in the festivities.
“Every spring and summer, I come to the U.S. on a tourist visa to help my sister and teach her children how to cook Sumolok,” she said.
Nooruz is a significant occasion for the Kyrgyz community, and preparing Sumolok is one of its most cherished traditions. Around 20 women come together to make this special wheat-based dish, which requires extensive preparation and cooking time. The women make the process joyful by singing songs and wishing while stirring the big pot called Khazan. The process begins with making Maitokoch (fry bread), followed by the addition of stones, oil, flour, unpitted apricots and water. The continuous stirring process lasts 12 hours, starting once the pot boils.
“We cook Sumolok every Nooruz,” Bekishova said. “There’s a tale behind it— about a poor woman living at a house with a roof made of wheat plants used the sprouted wheat to feed her hungry children.”
This occasion not only allows the Kyrgyz community to honor their heritage but also allows them to educate others about their rich cultural practices.
Fatema Hosseini is a Roy W. Howard Investigative Reporting fellow covering immigrant communities for Borderless Magazine. Send her an email at [email protected].
Tara Mobasher is a Northwestern Medill Reporting fellow at Borderless Magazine. Email Tara at [email protected].
