Definition

Noun: 1. A traditional festival marking the New Year: Nowruz is a major cultural and religious holiday celebrating the beginning of spring and the new year in the solar calendar. It is observed at the moment of the vernal equinox. 2. A celebration of renewal and rebirth: The holiday symbolizes the victory of light over darkness, the renewal of nature, and the start of a new year with hope and prosperity.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Families gather to celebrate Nowruz with a special table called the Haft-Seen.
  • Nowruz is a time for visiting relatives, exchanging gifts, and enjoying festive meals.
  • The exact moment of Nowruz is calculated astronomically each year.

Advanced Usage

• "Nowruz celebrations": Refers to the various customs, rituals, and festivities associated with the holiday period.
  • The Nowruz celebrations in our city include music, dance, and a public festival in the park.
• "Nowruz traditions": Denotes the specific cultural practices passed down through generations for the holiday.
  • Jumping over bonfires is one of the ancient Nowruz traditions meant to cleanse the spirit.

Variants and Related Words

• Norouz: An alternative Romanized spelling of the Persian word.
• Nawroz: A common spelling variant used in some regions and languages.
• Newroz: The Kurdish name and spelling for the festival.
• Persian New Year: A descriptive term for the holiday in English.
• Spring Equinox Festival: A descriptive term highlighting its astronomical timing.

Synonyms

• New Year festival: A general term for celebrations marking the beginning of a new year.
• Spring festival: A general term for celebrations that welcome the spring season.

Related Phrases

• "Haft-Seen table": The traditional display of seven symbolic items starting with the Persian letter 'Sin' (S), which is central to Nowruz celebrations.
• "Chaharshanbe Suri": The festival of fire celebrated on the last Wednesday before Nowruz.

Noun

1. (Persian) the new year holiday in Iran and Azerbaijan and Afghanistan and Pakistan and parts of India and among the Kurds; comes at the vernal equinox