Iranian New Year
Iranian culture likes Romans, Chinese and the other ancient country is one of the oldest cultures. Iran is country that has two calendars.
One calendar is traditional calendar or Zoroastrian calendar, the root of this calendar is back to first year of Cyrus Kingdom in Iran where was called Persia.
History of Iran and Greater Iran (also referred to as the "Iranian Cultural Continent" by the Encyclopedia Iranica) consists of the area from the Euphrates in the west to the Indus River and Jaxartes in the east and from the Caucasus, Caspian Sea, and Aral Sea in the north to the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman in the south. It includes the modern nations of Iran, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, the eastern parts of Turkey and Iraq. It is one of the world's oldest continuous major civilizations, covering thousands of years, from the ancient civilization on the Iranian plateau, Mannaeans civilization in Azarbaijan, Shahr-i Sokhta (Burned City) near Zabol in Sistan va Baluchestan, and the ancient Jiroft civilization in Kerman (more than 5000 BCE) followed by the kingdom of Elam (more than 3000 BCE) and the Median, Achaemenid, the Parthian, the Sassanid dynasties and following Empires to the modern Islamic Republic of Iran.
Once a major empire of superpower proportions, Persia has been overrun frequently and has had, its territory altered throughout the centuries. Invaded and occupied by Arabs, Turks, Mongols, British, Russians, Greeks, and others -- and often caught up in the affairs of larger powers -- Persia has always reasserted its national identity and has developed as a distinct political and cultural entity.
Another calendar is Islamic calendar or Djalali Calendar or Hijri Shamsi Calendar, It was outlined in the Qur’an, and in the last sermon of Muhammad during his farewell pilgrimage to Mecca. Umar, the second caliph Muslims, began numbering years in AH 17 (638 CE), regarding the first year as the year of Muhammad's Hijra (emigration) from Mecca to Medina, in September 622 CE. The first day of the year continued to be the first day of Muharram. Years of the Islamic calendar are designated AH from the Latin Anno Hegirae (in the year of the Hijra). The Islamic lunar calendar was widely used until the end of the 19th century.
However, The Islamic Republic of Iran Government uses the Islamic Solar Calendar (2009=1388). Majority of the Islamic countries around the World use the Islamic Lunar Calendar (2009=1430). But, as we all know, Persia (Iran) has been around and NoRuz has been celebrated much longer than that. today in Iran is the last day of Iranian year, in this Iranian says good-bye to previous year (1387 Hijri Shamsi or 2567) and says Hello to New Year (1388 Hijri Shamsi or 2568).
Tomorrow is a first day of Iranian and it has called NoRuz. NoRuz means New Day of New Year and first day of spring.
NoRuz 2568 (1388) began on 11:44:00 AM (GMT) March 20, 2009
Happy New Year
Peace for All
