Persian New Year in a Year of Unrest

In an uncommon conjunction, this year’s Eid-al-Fitr holiday that ends the Muslim month of fasting (Ramadan) and the Persian holiday of Nowruz both begin on March 20.* Twelve days later, the week-long Jewish celebration of Passover begins on April 1.

Nowruz marks the first day of spring and the inception of a new year in the Zoroastrian calendar. It is irrefutably the most important Persian holiday, celebrated in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and throughout much of Central Asia.

This year it is impossible to mention the historic festival without acknowledging the tragedies that have transpired in recent weeks and months. Even before the U.S.-Israel launch of war on Iran on Feb. 28, many Persian-diaspora communities had canceled their Nowruz celebrations in the light of violent government suppression of protests in Iran.

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These broke out on December 28 and continued into January in response to unremitting economic hardship and escalating inflation. The government countered with an internet blackout, arrests, and executions. Reports of fatalities could not be confirmed but are estimated to number in the thousands. On Feb. 14 massive international demonstrations by Iranian ex-pats and supporters in Toronto, Los Angeles, and Munich called for an end to decades-long repression.

When the joint U.S.-Israel attack began three weeks ago, some Iranians hailed the action as humanitarian intervention. Others decried it as an overreach of imperialist power (among other violations). Regardless of one’s perspective, the complex history of tensions and oppression between superpowers, governments, and civilians has resulted in tragic losses and hardships for citizens, reaching beyond the borders of Iran.

The books below and the intersection of the holidays they represent prompt contemplation on what we can do to promote peace, both in our own communities and around the world. We who are citizens of prosperous democratic countries possess many privileges. Among these are the means to be generous and the opportunity to support leaders who will wield power responsibly in the cause of justice.

Welcome, Uncle Nowruz!, by Rashin Kheiriyeh (North-South Books, 2026,40pp, ages 4–8)

Nana Sarma, the “grandmother of winter,” looks forward to the arrival of spring and “Uncle Nowruz” every year. But every year she falls asleep and misses his return. This year, determined to greet him, she busies herself with Nowruz preparations, aided by her three grandchildren. Together they clean the house, prepare the feast, and procure new clothes. At the market, they collect seven emblems of spring beginning with “s” (the letter “seen” in Persian).

Back home they arrange the traditional Haft-Seen (seven “seens”) table: sprouts for new growth, garlic for health, apples for beauty, vinegar for patience, and more. Belatedly, Nana Sarma realizes she has forgotten hyacinths for strength.

When at last all is ready, poor grandmother falls asleep, exhausted by her labors. Uncle Nowruz arrives on time, but no one can rouse Nana Sarma. Once again, she misses the return of spring. To demonstrate the absence of hard feelings, Uncle Nowruz leaves a hyacinth in her hair.

Author-illustrator Rashin Kheiriyah was born in the western Iranian city of Khorramshahr, situated on the Iraqi border near the Persian Gulf. Many of her books aim for cross-cultural understanding and friendship. Among these are her illustrations for The Night Before Eid: A Muslim Family Story, by Aya Khalil, and the board book Ramadan, by Hannah Eliot.

Amu Nowruz and His Violets, by Hadi Mohammadi,  ill. Nooshin Safakhoo, trans. Sara Khalili (Elsewhere Editions, 2024, 32pp, ages 4–9). Once again, Nana Sarma, the wintry grandmother, struggles to stay awake to greet the return of spring. Where Welcome Uncle Nowruz bustles with activity, Amu Nowruz is meditative and poetic.While Kheiriye’s illustrations are bold and elemental, Safakhoo employs pen and ink line drawings and a muted palette to elegant effect. This translation from Farsi merges nature with culture in a lovely aesthetic both wistful and whimsical.

Mohammad Hadi Mohammadi is an Iranian researcher, educator, and author of literature for children. His In the Meadow of Fantasies has alsobeen translated into English (Elsewhere Editions, 2021, 32pp, ages 3–7). Nooshin Safakhoo is an Iranian painter who has illustrated numerous children’s books, including In the Meadow of Fantasies. Sara Khalili is a journalist and literary translator of contemporary Iranian fiction.

A Persian Passover, by Etan Basseri, ill. Rashin Kheiriyeh (Kalaniot Books, 2022, 32pp, ages 4–8). Brother and sister Ezra and Roza are preparing for Passover in their home in Iran. Ezra loves speed—he races hither and thither, clocking his time. But his haste is his undoing when he drops the matzah on the way home from the synagogue the day before Passover. What to do?

Basseri incorporates Passover traditions like cleaning the house, preparing the seder (Passover meal), and the week-long eating of unleavened bread. But most important is neighborliness—the generosity of Mrs. Pirnazar who shares her matzah, and the hospitality of Ezra’s parents who invite her in.

Etan Basseri, an author of Persian-Jewish descent, lives in Seattle and writes about Jewish customs around the world. See also A Turkish Rosh Hashanah (Kalaniot Books, 2024, 32pp, ages 5–9).

*In brief, Islam and Judaism each use a different approach to the lunar calendar, in which a month is 28 days. Persian Zoroastrian employs 30-day months, with the new year always beginning on the spring equinox.