Naw-Rúz
Naw-Rúz (literally new day) is the Bahá'í new year festival and falls at the spring equinox, although it has been fixed at 21st March for countries outside the Middle East. Naw-Rúz symbolises the new life of spring.
Bahá'í garden ©
Naw-Rúz is the first day of the month of Baha which is the first month in the Bahá'í calendar.
The festival is usually observed with meetings for prayer and celebration. The celebration is often combined with a feast as the sunset before Naw-Rúz signals the end of a 19-day fast. Festivities can also include music and dancing.
Time is spent visiting friends and relatives and exchanging gifts. Naw-Rúz is one of the nine Bahá'í holy days on which work is suspended.
Naw-Rúz is an old Iranian celebration and also marks the start of the Zoroastrian new year.