Happy Nowruz to one and all!

Nowruz (new day/daylight)  is the traditional Iranian festival of spring which starts at the exact moment of the spring equinox, and heralds the start of spring. It is considered as the start of the New Year among Iranians.This year, Nowruz took place at 12.32 p.m. GMT (at the time when the Sun entered Aries). 

As a child growing up in a Zoroastrian family in India, Nowruz signified many things - my brother's Birthday party (his birthday being the 19th of March, and Nowruz normally being the 20th or 21st of March), visiting grandparents and relatives, having lots of "Gaz" (no wonder my teeth were in such a bad state before I turned ten), splashing tons of rose water (to date the only "beauty product" I use) and painting funny faces on to an egg which was then placed on the Nowruz table ( Haft Seen ). Dried fruits, pomegranate, sweets, rice, custard, sprouted wheat, and a large mirror... so many strange and intruiging foods were laid out on everyone's Nowruz tables in every household. 

Unfortunately, I also remember Nowruz coinciding with school exams, so I could never really enjoy the spirit of the New Year, because I always had to cram and bury my head in school work. Plus, my mother would always insist on a major "spring clean" a few days before Nowruz, every single year, so I would end up misplacing or losing things just before school exams. Still, when Nowruz dawns every year, I am always filled with renewed hope and optimism - there's something really wonderful about celebrating the change of seasons, of remembering that if you do good, say good things, think good thoughts, your entire year will go well, and if you cause pain and hurt around Nowruz, the year will be traumatic and difficult! Ironically, as the years passed, many loved ones passed away around Nowruz, so in recent years it has been a time of celebration but also of quite contemplation and reflection. My paternal grand father, our beloved Pandit (a Maharashtrian man who worked for my maternal grandfather), my cousin who tragically passed away in his early twenties, my mum's cousin, my two dear friends who died when they were both only fourteen years old, my great grandmother - the list is quite long.

The last message I wrote was about my brother Shadaan's one man play entitled "The Virgin and the Vulture" - I know he chose the date 21st March to coincide with Nowruz. I guess he thought there was something auspicious about the day itself, and the fact that the souls (Asho Ravans) of all our loved ones are always with us. As someone who is not religious, I do not really obsess about the staunch, fanatical aspects of any religion. Instead, I love celebrating the positive aspects of the ancient faith that I was born into, and all the other cultures and religions that I have discovered. Having said that, for many years I was reluctant to talk about the fact that I was born into a Zoroastrian family, and as the years passed, I was advised to simply say I was "Irish" and "Christian" - both by employers, by concert promoters, and by a parent of a student who admitted that I would get more students if I didn't flaunt my "foreign" background. Ridiculous as that sounds.Anyway, that's all in the past. For now, I'm happy to spread the basic principle of this ancient faith - Turn yourself not away from three best things: Good Thought, Good Word, and Good Deed!

Happy Nowruz to everyone!