What Is Nowruz? Trump, Iran's Ayatollah Deliver Messages On Persian New Year

The Persian New Year or Nowruz (meaning “new day”) will be celebrated on Thursday.

Much like 2018’s message, President Donald Trump’s acknowledgment of the Persian New Year this year too felt like an attack on the Iranian government and the country’s military.

“Nowruz is a special time of thanksgiving and celebration for many across western and central Asia, and especially in Iran, to gather and reflect on the blessings of the previous year as they prepare with a renewed spirit of optimism for the coming of spring. Sadly, the Iranian people are once again unable to share fully in the joy of this occasion. This year, as they have each year for the past four decades, they mark the arrival of spring under the heavy burden of the oppression of their country’s ruthless and corrupt regime,” a statement released by the White House stated.

“In solidarity with the people of Iran, who yearn for a future of liberty, opportunity, and prosperity, the United States of America continues to condemn the dictatorial Iranian regime. We pledge never to turn a deaf ear to the calls of the Iranian people for freedom, and we will never forget their ongoing struggle for human rights,” the statement added.

Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on the other hand, vowed Thursday to address the economic crisis that his country was facing by controlling the increasing prices of essential commodities and stabilizing the national currency.

"In the face of severe, and according to them unprecedented, sanctions from America and Europe, the Iranian people showed a strong and powerful reaction both in the field of politics and economy," Khamenei said in a pre-recorded speech broadcasted by state media, Al Jazeera reported.

Here are some facts about Nowruz:

Millions of Iranians, as well as non-Iranians across the globe, will be celebrating the holiday by undertaking spring cleaning in their homes on a massive scale, including clearing out their closets and washing piles of clothes, along with curtains, rugs and windows. While on one hand, anything broken in the house is repaired, material things that are no longer needed in the household are donated to the needy. The Farsi term for spring cleaning is “knoneh takooni.”

Another tradition followed in the days leading up to the festival is displaying seven items beginning with the letter “S” on a table. The items are meant to represent good health and fortune in the coming year. These items form the “haft-seen,”

The Persian New Year has its origins in Zoroastrianism, an ancient Persian religion that dates back 3,000 years, predating both Christianity and Islam.

In countries like Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq and Uzbekistan, among others, celebrations last for 12 days. While in places such as Iraq and Turkey, it is mostly celebrated by the Kurdish population.