Happy Norouz!

Happy Norouz! Yesterday celebrated the Persian New Year and the spring equinox. The Norouz celebration lasts 13 days and is rooted in the 3,000-year-old tradition of Zorastrianism.

We wish everyone a blessed spring and share Mevlana’s Norouz greeting:

Now leave this, father, New Year’s Day is come,
the creatures’ mouths are sweetened by our Maker.
Back to our river came the spirit’s water,
our King has come back to our neighbourhood.
Fortune parades herself and trails her skirts,
and beats the drum to break vows of repentance.
Once more the flood has swept away repentance,
our chance has come now sleep has got the watchman.
The drinkers quaffed the wine and all got sloshed!
Tonight we’re going to wager our possessions!
From ruby life-increasing spirit-wine
we’re ruby in a ruby in a ruby.
The place has come alive again – delightful!
Go burn esfand against the evil eye!
I hear the noise of happy revellers!
Beloved, we must always be like this!…

[Translated by Alan Williams from the Sixth book of Rumi’s Masnavi, ed. R.A. Nicholson vv. 939-946 (ed. M. Este‘lami 944-951)]

Originally published on Art Aware.

Image by Mahmoud Farshchian