President Extends Warm Greetings on Navroz, the Parsi New Year

President Droupadi Murmu has greeted the people on the eve of Parsi New Year Navroz. In her message, President Murmu said Parsi New Year Navroz is a festival of faith, joy and enthusiasm.

The Parsis, a Zoroastrian community, celebrate Navroz to commemorate their New Year which typically falls around the vernal equinox i.e. around March 21 and it is an important occasion for Parsis to come together, wear new clothes, decorate their homes, offer prayers and enjoy festive meals.

About Navroz

• The most prominent Navroz celebrations take place in Maharashtra and Gujarat in India on account of a sizeable Parsi population living in the two states but though celebrated in March globally, Navroz arrives 200 days later in India and is celebrated in the month of August as the Parsis here follow the Shahenshahi calendar that doesn’t account for leap years. 

• Interestingly in India, people celebrate it twice a year - first according to the Iranian calendar and the second according to the Shahenshahi calendar which is followed by people here and in Pakistan.

• In particular with relation to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, Nowruz was inscribed as an element in 2009, and extended in 2016, on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, at the joint initiative of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.