Festival Diary – ‘Naw Ruz: The Baha’i New Year’ by Jasmine Danish
This blog series invites members and friends of WIN to prepare a ‘festival diary’, exploring the history and significance of specific rituals or outlining the routine of religious celebrations, as a window into the lived experience of people of different faiths. This week, Jasmine Danish from Waltham Forest WIN shares her reflections on the Baha’i festival of Naw Ruz, including insights from other members of the Waltham Forest Baha’i community about different celebrations from around the world.
Naw Ruz is Baha’I New Year. Literally, it translates from Farsi to mean “New Day”, spiritually it is described in Baha’I writings as the “Divine Springtime”. It marks the end of 19 days of fasting focusing on spiritual renewal through meditation, prayer, reflection and material detachment.
For me as a Baha’i, Naw Ruz mirrors the essence of the Bahai Faith: advocating for the Oneness of God, unity of religions and one humankind.
It coincides with the Spring Equinox, linking the natural world with the spirit of Humanity awakening as winter dark gives way to springtime light. In ancient Persia 3000 years ago, it was part of the Zoroastrian religious calendar and adopted over time by communities along the Silk Route of south and central Asia as a secular festival. Naw Ruz is New year for Ismailis too and was declared the International Day of Happiness in 2012. So cool!
Baha’is are encouraged to embrace cultures and so Naw Ruz celebrations include the same prayer and meditation from the writings translated into hundreds of languages alongside culturally specific food ,music, dance, community events etc. For example, as a child in Kolkata Naw Ruz meant new clothes, a community picnic at the Zoo and Botanical Gardens, fun activities and favourite foods. Dorothy from Uganda remembers a lot of singing to and from the temple in Kampala. Miriam from Ireland recalls that the rain never dampened Naw Ruz. Sherry still performs the Persian ritual of laying out 7 items on a Naw Ruz table.
Naw Ruz makes me feel like a moth drawn to the light of all these other worlds without gates, where I can fly seamlessly through the past and present, the old and new, the material and spiritual as part of an inter-related interconnected universe. So, with joy in my heart, I wish for you the same light of connexion on this Day of Happiness, of Springtime and Spiritual Renewal. Happy Naw Ruz!
Jasmine – Baha’is of Waltham Forest
If you would like to submit your own festival diary, please contact info@wominet.org.uk.