Persian New Year 2021 - AstroSage

History of the Persian New Year

The Persians observe the faith of one of the oldest known monotheistic sects, Zoroastrianism. It was created roughly 3,500 years ago in ancient Iran by the Prophet Zarathustra. For over 1000 years, it was one of the most prominent religions of the ancient world and was Persia's official religion (now Iran) from 650 BCE until the rise of Islam in the 7th century.

Many Zoroastrians fled to locations such as Gujarat in India and Pakistan when the Islamic armies invaded Persia. There are currently an estimated 2.6 million Zoroastrians worldwide, with the largest single group in India being the Persians ('Parsi' being Gujarati for Persian).

Zoroastrians celebrated the Persian New Year in Iran and other parts of the Middle East using the Fasli/Bastnai calendar, which set the Spring Equinox on the first day of the year, usually March 21. To this day, despite not being Zoroastrians, this remains a popular festival, known as Nowruz, celebrated by many populations and cultures in the region. The Persian, however, uses the Shahenshahi calendar that does not account for leap years to celebrate the new year, indicating that this holiday has now shifted by 200 days from its original vernal equinox day.