Welcome to Zoroastrianism Expanded Observance: Novruz
The first day of Spring (March 21) is the Zoroastrian New Year’s day. The beginning of Spring heralds not only the arrival of Novruz but also the birthday of Zarathushtra, the prophet who preached the Zoroastrian faith. This is the best time of the year as nature renews her life cycle.
For Novruz every family sets a table and decorates it with seven symbolic items representing the natural elements e.g. plants, water etc. This is called the traditional Haft-Seen table. This practice is the transformation of the original practice of setting up the table with seven flowers each assigned to Ahura Mazda, the Supreme Being and Ahura Mazda’s six divine attributes: wisdom, truth, majesty, devotion, perfection, and immortality.
The first day of Novruz is a family day when relatives gather and exchange gifts and from the second day when friends visit each other’s homes. The sixth day of Novruz is the birthday of prophet Zarathushtra which is celebrated with prayers and devotion.
