Something new will come, the old will pass away

EAF expert Tannaz Falaknaz reports on the Persian New Year (Nowruz) during these times of revolutionary change.

People all over the world celebrate Nowruz (literally: New Day). Nowruz is one of the oldest festivals in the world and is celebrated in many countries. Every year between March 20 and 22, families come together to welcome the new year. This year, we in Iran are celebrating on March 20. Due to the revolutionary process that has now been ongoing for six months, it is clear that this year's festival will not be like those of the past. Just as Iran will no longer be the same as it was before September 2022.

Haft-sin – the seven elements on the Iranian New Year table

When I was a child, I was impressed every year by the colorful New Year's table (sofreh) that my parents lovingly set for the holiday. Haft-sin means "Seven S's" and refers to the custom of placing seven items on the table that begin with the letter S in Persian. Even as an adult, I would diligently practice, leaning over the table or the cloth. Sib (apple) stands for health, sir (garlic) for protection, somagh (a specific spice) for the spice of life, sabzeh (wheat or lentil sprouts) symbolizes vitality, senjed (oleaster) for love, and serkeh (vinegar) for a long life. "What does samanu (wheat pudding) stand for again?" – "It is meant to bring something beautiful and blessings into your life!" The table is often also decorated with painted eggs, the book of the poet Hafez, flowers, candles, and mirrors. For me, Nowruz has always been a mix of Christmas, New Year's Eve, and Easter. It has always been a festival where the family comes together to say goodbye to the past year and welcome the new one. The saying on this day is always: Har ruzetan Nowruz, Nowruzetan piruz – "May every day be a new day, and may your day be blessed."

But this year, the spice of life has turned bitter, and a long life no longer feels like a given. Many in Iran are defenseless, and hospitals are full of sick and poisoned schoolgirls. Blessings and vitality feel different now.

Even after 6 months, the revolutionary process continues

Because this year, everything is under a different sign. Following the violent death of Jina Mahsa Amini and the start of the nationwide movement, the country has been in a process for six months that many describe as a point of no return. For the first time, all social classes, ethnicities, generations, and genders are on the streets for the fall of the Islamic Republic and for their freedom and rights. The Kurdish cry for freedom, Jin, Jiyan, Azadi (Woman – Life – Freedom), has established itself as the slogan of the revolutionary movement. On days when street protests do not dominate the cityscape, you can hear people calling out "Freedom" in unison from the windows of their homes. The revolution has arrived and adorns countless street walls and house facades. Political graffiti is hard to miss. Then there are days when the streets resemble a ghost town because the bazaars and shops are on strike. "I'm on vacation," is written on many doors. This resistance is met by a regime that acts with extreme brutality against the population. More than 500 people have been killed, including many children. There have been the first executions in the context of the movement, and many more face the death penalty, as was the case for the German citizen Jamshid Sharmahd, who was kidnapped in Dubai in 2020 while on his way to a professional stay in India, dragged to Iran, and now faces imminent execution following his conviction. Time is precious these days. Six months after the start of the revolution, we are not being asked to start over, but to continue to be active. A new Iran policy is needed; Europe and the West are needed as strategic partners for the opposition. There are constant appeals that it is not too late to stand on the side of the population, including taking the exile opposition seriously, which has formed from human rights activists, politicians, and cultural figures to enable and support the transition to democracy in Iran – without any long-term claim to power. Their Charter for a Democratic Iran was only recently published. Steps like these give hope that the people in Iran can one day be free. But hope alone is not enough; activism is required. It requires actions beyond lip service; it requires allies at all political levels. We owe that to these courageous people.

The courage and resistance of the Iranian people and the constant promise of a new beginning

In the last six months, there have been many "Nowruz moments" where the courage of many people marked the pinnacle of a new beginning. For me, Nowruz was seeing the murdered Nika Shakarami in a video climbing onto a dumpster, her burning headscarf held high with a clenched fist. For me, Nowruz was when the parents of Mohammad Mehdi Karami, next to their son's grave, also visited the grave of Seyed Mohammad Hosseini—who had no family and was executed the same morning as Karami—to lay flowers, while an entire country cried out: "We are all your family." For me, Nowruz was seeing students at universities sitting outside to eat because they had been forbidden from sitting together inside across gender lines. For me, Nowruz was seeing videos of released women standing in front of the prison with flowers in their hands, tearing the headscarf from their heads, shouting slogans, and carrying on. Just like the 28-year-old labor activist and journalist Sepideh Qolian, who, after nearly five years in Evin Prison and torture, shouted the name of the religious leader Khamenei as a devil just moments after her release. I could continue this list forever. There were so many Nowruz moments that showed me that something new is coming and something old is passing away. This year, for me, Nowruz is a new beginning and the resistance of the people for the freedom of all. Har ruzetan Nowruz, Nowruzetan piruz.

For me personally, the custom of making a wish also became established at Nowruz. After all, that is what my friends in Germany did on New Year's Eve. There are years when you are perfectly happy as you are. There are years when thousands of wishes come to mind. This year, I have only one wish.