ASIEH NAMDAR, CNN ANCHOR: Iranians around the world are marking the Persian new year. Noruz is a time for family get-togethers, elaborate meals, exchanging gifts with loved ones and, yes, spring cleaning.</s>OCTAVIA NASR, CNN ANCHOR: Celebrations leading up to Noruz begin in mid-March. Iran's IRIB has more on this festive holiday that has just about everyone celebrating.</s>DELARAM FORADI, IRIB REPORTER (voice-over): The Noruz celebration is the most important national and historic festival in Iran and in fact, is an agrarian tradition. Each year at the advent of spring, the Aryan tribes stretching from central Asia to the Indian subcontinent celebrate the arrival of the season and thank god for his blessings. During the last month of the solar year, called Esfand. In a custom known as dusting, Iranian people clean up their houses and the environment and get themselves ready for the new year celebrations. Planting saplings and growing seedbeds are some of the preparations done to welcome spring. Tambourine men appear on the streets during the last week of the year and are considered as the harbingers of spring and the end of the winter. They also invite people to take part in the Noruz festivities. Decorating a table, called Haft Seen, is one of the most attractive traditions of the new year celebrations. Haft Seen means seven "s"'s, and Consist of seven edible things whose names start with s; the seven things which symbolize blessing and abundance. In addition to seven foodstuffs, there are other items on the Haft Seen table, including the holy Koran, the symbol of belief in almighty God; candles, the sign happiness and prosperity and red fish, the symbol of life. The last day of the new year season is called Sizdah Bedar, or picnic day. People go to parks and countrysides for the whole say to throw away the unlucky effects of the 13th day of the new year. Delaram Foradi, NIRB correspondent, reporting for CNN WORLD REPORT.
Iranians Celebrate Traditional New Year