March 21 - International Novruz Day

Today is International Novruz Day, declared by the United Nations General Assembly in it a 2010 resolution at the initiative of the countries celebrating it, Report informs.

Novruz marks the first day of spring and is celebrated on the day of the astronomical vernal equinox, which usually occurs on 21 March. It is celebrated as the beginning of the new year by more than 300 million people all around the world and has been celebrated for over 3,000 years in the Balkans, the Black Sea Basin, the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Middle East and other regions.

Inscribed in 2009 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as a cultural tradition observed by numerous peoples, Novruz is an ancestral festivity marking the first day of spring and the renewal of nature. It promotes values of peace and solidarity between generations and within families as well as reconciliation and neighbourliness, thus contributing to cultural diversity and friendship among peoples and different communities.

Novruz plays a significant role in strengthening the ties among peoples based on mutual respect and the ideals of peace and good neighbourliness. Its traditions and rituals reflect the cultural and ancient customs of the civilizations of the East and West, which influenced those civilizations through the interchange of human values.

Celebrating Novruz means the affirmation of life in harmony with nature, awareness of the inseparable link between constructive labour and natural cycles of renewal and a solicitous and respectful attitude towards natural sources of life.

International Novruz Day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2010 at the initiative of several countries that share this holiday. Under the agenda item of “culture of peace”, the member states of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Albania, North Macedonia, Iran, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Türkiye and Turkmenistan prepared and introduced a draft resolution entitled "International Day of Novruz" to the ongoing 64th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations for its consideration and adoption.