Nowruz

High school (ages 12+)
Holidays & Celebrations

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/nowruz

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the festival type?Persian New Year and spring equinox celebration
2. What is the earliest evidence?Over 3,000 years ago, potentially linked to Zoroastrianism
3. What is Nowruz and when does it happen?Nowruz is the Persian New Year, celebrated around March 20th or 21st. It marks the spring equinox when day and night are almost equal.
4. Why do people set up a Haft-Seen table for Nowruz?The Haft-Seen table has seven items that start with the letter 'S' in Persian. Each item symbolizes a wish for a good and happy year.

Vernal Equinox: The astronomical event marking the start of spring, characterized by equal day and night.
Haft-Seen: A traditional table setting comprising seven symbolic items, each beginning with the letter 'S' in Persian, representing aspects of life and prosperity.
Chaharshanbe Suri: A pre-Nowruz fire festival involving leaping over bonfires for purification and renewal.
Sizdah Bedar: The final day of Nowruz celebrations, traditionally spent outdoors to ward off bad luck.