May every day of ours be a Nawruz!
Attributed toImam平Ali b. Abi Talibupon receiving Nawruz gifts, from.
Nawruz (literally new day) is celebrated around the world to coincide with the spring equinox. Like many spring festivals from different religions, Nawruz is a time for renewal, forgiveness, and growth. Nawruz was originally celebrated by the Zoroastrians: one of the oldest monotheistic religions still practiced. Over centuries of interaction with Persian culture, Muslims began to adopt Nawruz celebrations as well as other shared traditions. The IIS SeriesAn Anthology of Philosophy in Persiaexamines these cross-cultural philosophical traditions through a variety of translations and analyses.
Nawruz in verse
Throughout Nawruz, the beauty of a fresh spring is often reflected in art and poetry. The following video, produced by The Ismaili Special Collections Unit and the Department of Communications and Development showcases two beautiful manuscripts (housed in our Special Collections) featuring poems by 畍asan-i Ma畍m笛d (an Ismaili poet during theAlamutperiod) and N畊ir-i Khusraw (anIsmaili da平i and poet from the Fatimid period):
AmirTamim, the eldest son of the Fatimid Imam-Caliph al-Mu平izz, wrote a poem entitled “On the Festival of Nawruz. This poem can be found translated in full in the IIS Secondary Ta平lim bookMuslim Devotional and Ethical Literatureand in Faquir M HunzaisShimmering Light.
If Nawruz is a festival of joy and delight,
it is through your light that it has come to be so
O son of the Prophet, Allahs blessings be on you!
You are a time-tested sword to fight lifes sorrows.
Explore the poetryof N畊ir Khusraw, built into the Garden of Light at theAga KhanCentre.
禽顎姻庄稼乙油Women’s History Month, last year, Naureen Ali gathered the stories from Ismaili women, including IIS GovernorNacim Pak-Shirazsreflections on Nawruz.
Dr Shiraz Kabanishares a traditional Nawruz song and its translation, as well as his Nawruz experiences in Khorog inIsmaili Festivals: Stories of Celebration.
The Ismaili UK recentlyfeaturing IIS students and their Nawruz traditions.
