Nowruz, the Persian New Year, is a 3,000-year-old celebration of spring, rooted in the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism. It begins on the first day of the Iranian calendar, usually on or around 20 March, or Spring Equinox, and lasts for 13 days. With deep reverence for fertility, nature and new beginnings.

It’s celebrated by around 300 million people across Iran, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan and Central Asia, as well as in Kurdish, Turkic Uyghur and Parsi communities worldwide.

The United Nations has marked 21 March as International Nowruz Day, of time.