TEHRAN: Across much of the non-Arab Muslim world, people celebrated Norouz, the festival that marks the arrival of spring and the beginning of the new-year. The pre-Islamic holiday with roots in the Zoroastrian religion of ancient Persia -- perhaps the world’s first monotheistic faith -- is observed in Iran, Central Asia, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, parts of India, and among the Kurds.Norouz, which means "new day" in Persian, fell on March 20 this year, a day before the vernal equinox when the new year begins. Norouz traditionally celebrates the awakening of nature, life's renewal, and the triumph of good and light over the darkness of winter. The new year is marked when the sun leaves the astrological sign of Pisces and enters Aries.The spring festival is believed to have been first recognized and named Norouz by the mythical Persian emperor Jamshid. Others credit the Achaemenian dynasty of the 12th century B.C. for institutionalizing Norouz.Throughout the history of Iran, the spirit and significance of the holiday has often made Norouz a target for foreign invaders and anti-nationalist forces. Alexander the Great and the Arab conquerors a thousand years later tried to eliminate the holiday.The Soviet Union banned it in Central Asia and Azerbaijan, considering it a nationalist or Islamic holiday.
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