Journal Entry: One long holiday

As a person who is not exactly fond of too many holidays, I found myself in the belly of a seemingly enchanting and enticing behemoth that did not want to let go of me.

Now you may be wondering what this gigantic and exceptional behemoth exactly is?

Allow me to present Nowruz !!! What? Is not Nowruz the most celebrated and widely esteemed holiday in Iran ? How could you so blindly compare it with a gigantic behemoth?

Well, I will explain if you allow me to do so, without further ado, I would jump right in and describe very briefly what Nowruz is .


Nowruz is an Iranian festival that marks the beginning of spring and takes the Iranian calendar to a whole new year. Iranian people await and celebrate this significant event sky-high by visiting their relatives, going on trips and so on.
So far everything resembles our own Christmas and New Year's Eve but the differences set out to become more apparent the moment you realize that this renowned holiday lasts for at least 14 days –I personally was off the hook for approximately 21 days!- and during this period ,especially the first week or so ,the majority of business and trade centers, governmental agencies, banks, educational institutions , colleges and pretty much every other organization that does not directly deal with trips, auto service and above all kebab and Deezee is out of the picture!
This is while the country has more than 20 other holidays for various reasons. Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet is not it ?

In one of our Talk Show classes we discussed the issue of holiday and its abundance in Iran and some of my students actually were not satisfied with the sheer amount of holidays that certainly has enormous impact on the fundamentals of the Iranian society economically, educationally, politically and culturally.

However, we shall not overlook the beauty of Nowruz that is buried beneath the unsound statistics which articulates the vernal message of spring and its accompanying freshness and happiness.
Many of my wonderful friends sent me text messages and emails congratulating Nowruz ,and I will only post few of them for you in order to further understand the elegant atmosphere during these days:

"Dear Daniel
I hope the beauty of spring, joy and happiness into your life. Wish for you healthy and happy new year…….Ali"

"Merry Nowruz & Happy New Year! It's Nowruz! The time to make new beginnings, realize dreams and reach new goals. Spring has sprung! As the buds bloom, the birds fly back to their home and bumblebees buzz in with seasonal cheer…time to wish you a season that is bright with a harvest of smiles, happiness, hope and prosperity to last all year through………. Mack Moradi"

"Hi Daniel
Didn’t know u b4. Ok! Not a big deal!
But now that I know, I never wanna lose a guy like u.
This, v call it Norouz (I know u know it. I’m just pullin ur leg)
A tradition established by King Jamshid, who ruled the country around 2000 years ago. Who brought nothing to our nation but unity and prosperity.
Wish the year 1389 gives us something new as novelty.
Wish u and those who love you, ever luck.

Amin Vakili "

"Happy New Year my friend, I hope you be healthy & successful during in your life.

Mohammad Khabazi "

Again let me thank all of those who sent me their kind remarks and wish them a fantastic year ahead.



I myself managed to indulge myself during these days and put all the substantial spare time in some good use. Heck, I even began to like this format along with many other Iranian customs!

I wish all of my students, friends and colleagues in Iran cherished and enjoyed their holidays as much as I did.




Further Readings :

Nowruz
Iranian festivals
Public holidays in Iran