Nowruz 2021: History, significance of occasion celebrated as Persian New Year

-

The Persian New Year Nowruz 2021 is being celebrated today (Saturday, 20 March). The Persian New Year marks the first day of the spring season and will begin at 3:07 pm on Spring Equinox (time of the year when day and night are of equal length).

Over 300 million people worldwide celebrate the festival, including those from Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Pakistan, Turkey and other countries in Central Asia and West Asia.

Significance of Nowruz

The significance of the festival is that it marks the arrival of spring and the renewal of nature. The rituals practiced on the day of Nowruz are a blend of the traditions of both Eastern and Western civilisations. Nowruz brings people together and promotes peace between different communities.

Nowruz celebration

The most important part of Nowruz celebration is having Haft Seen (Seven S). A table is set up with seven items whose names start with the letter ‘s.’ The rituals may vary depending on the region, however, most people celebrate the festival by setting up this table of food items.

International Nowruz Day

Keeping in mind the significance of this festival, the United Nations marks 21 March as the International Nowruz Day. The festival was added to the ‘Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’ in 2009 and the occasion has been celebrated since 2010. Although Nowruz can fall on any day between 19 March to 22 March, International Nowruz Day is celebrated on 21 March.



from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/3c3YJV2
FP Trending

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Both COVID-19 vaccine doses needed for good protection against B16172 variant

-
It’s been a concerning few weeks in the UK, with the B16172 variant first taking hold and then spreading to become dominant. This more infectious form of the virus, initially identified in India, is what we’re now going to have to live with – unless it is out-competed by another variant in the future. Worryingly, experts had predicted that B16172 might be able to escape some of the effects of vaccines, which if true would threaten to derail the UK’s plans to finish lifting restrictions from the end of June. However, Public Health England (PHE) has looked at the ability of various variants to evade immunity and says that the UK’s vaccines remain effective against the variants circulating, including B16172. On the surface, this looks like good news. But delve a bit deeper, and things get more complicated, says Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia. PHE’s research found a little drop-off in protection against B16172 among people who were fully vaccinated.
Read more

New coronavirus variant emerge in India: How should our COVID response change?

-
Image
After genome sequencing of over 10,000 COVID-19 cases in India, researchers have discovered a new variant with two new mutations which may be better at evading the immune system. In 15-20 percent of samples from the Indian state of Maharashtra (the state accounting for 62 percent of cases in the country) a new, double mutation in key areas of the virus has been detected. These are now known as the E484Q and L452R mutations. What makes the variant different? Both these mutations are concerning because they are located in a key portion of the virus – the spike protein – that it uses to penetrate human cells. Spike proteins attach via a “receptor binding domain”, meaning the virus can attach to receptors in our cells. These new mutations include changes to the spike protein that make it a “better fit” for human cells. This means the virus can gain entry more easily and multiply faster. Given what we have seen with other similar mutations , it might also make it harder for our immu
Read more

120 flights delayed, 30 trains running late; Delhi fog & cold wave continue to give shiver to travellers

-
Arrival and departure of 120 flights, both domestic and international, to Delhi airport were affected due to dense fog and cold wave conditions on Wednesday, according to Delhi Airport FIDS (Flight Information Display System). As per the Delhi Airport FIDS, a total of 53 flights, including 21 domestic arrivals, 16 domestic departures, 13 international departures and three international arrivals scheduled are cancelled and not operating due to fog and other operational reasons from and to Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in the national capital on 17 January. #WATCH | Delhi: Several flight operations delayed at IGI airport due to low visibility amid fog. pic.twitter.com/hG1DUKllEt — ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2024 Visuals from the Delhi airport showed passengers waiting outside, checking update of their scheduled flights. There were also some people waiting for flight of their families, friends and loved ones to arrive, which got delayed due to fog. #WATCH | Delhi | Pas
Read more