Definitive Guide to Nowruz Gifts.
Nowruz begins Thursday, March 20, 2025 🌱
Nowruz, also spelled as "Nawruz," "Norooz," or "Nauruz," is the Persian New Year and is considered one of the most important and widely celebrated festivals in many parts of the world, particularly in the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of South Asia. The word "Nowruz" translates to "new day" in Persian.
Nowruz marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the year in the Iranian calendar. It usually falls on or around March 20th or 21st, depending on the exact timing of the vernal equinox. The festival has deep historical and cultural roots, with origins dating back over 3,000 years. Key features of Nowruz celebrations include:
Renewal and Rebirth
Nowruz is symbolic of renewal and rebirth, as it aligns with the arrival of spring when nature awakens from its winter slumber. This theme of renewal is reflected in various aspects of the festival.
Haft-Seen Table
One of the most iconic traditions of Nowruz is the setting up a special table called the "Haft-Seen" table. On this table, seven items starting with the Persian letter "S" are displayed, each of which holds a symbolic meaning related to the themes of Nowruz. These items often include Sabzeh (sprouted wheat, barley, or lentils), Samanu (a sweet pudding), Senjed (dried oleaster fruit), Seer (garlic), Seeb (apple), Somāq (sumac berries), and Serkeh (vinegar).
Cleaning and Preparation
In the weeks leading up to Nowruz, it's customary to clean and declutter homes thoroughly. This cleaning process symbolizes the removal of negativity and making way for a fresh start.
Visiting Family and Friends
Nowruz is a time for families to gather and celebrate. People visit the homes of relatives and friends, exchange gifts, and enjoy festive meals.
Gift-Giving
It's common to exchange gifts during Nowruz, especially for children. These gifts often include money, sweets, and small presents.
Fire Jumping (Chaharshanbe Suri)
On the last Wednesday of the year before Nowruz, there is a tradition known as "Chaharshanbe Suri" in Iran, where people jump over bonfires while reciting specific phrases to symbolize getting rid of negative energy and bringing in positive energy for the new year.
New Clothes
It's customary to wear new clothes for the New Year, symbolizing a fresh beginning.
Nowruz Today
While the festival has Persian origins, it has been adopted and celebrated by various cultures and communities beyond Iran, including Afghan, Azerbaijani, Kurdish, Tajik, and Central Asian societies. Nowruz is a time of joy, unity, and reflection, emphasizing the themes of renewal, hope, and the interconnectedness of humanity and nature.
Nowruz is just around the corner. If you celebrate the Persian New Year, then you're probably already racking your brain trying to decide what gifts to get your friends and family. Gift giving can be a fun experience, but it can also be very stressful. You may also be thinking about the gifts you'll receive yourself. Will they even be what you need or want? And how do you ensure you're giving exactly what a loved one wants?
We've all been in that unfortunate situation where someone gives us a gift that we don't really like. Chance are, it will never be used even though you appreciate the gesture. It means that whoever purchased it essentially wasted their money. But gift giving doesn't have to be like that this year at Nowruz.
Use a Universal Wishlist to Get the Best Gifts
The best way to avoid getting gifts that you don't like is to maintain a clear-cut wishlist. And that doesn't mean writing what you want on a piece of paper and passing it around before the Persian New Year. It means maintaining an online list of gifts that you really want. People can view that wishlist and then purchase the gifts for you. And in return, you can ask friends and family for their Nowruz wish list as well. This way, everyone is certain that they get what they want.
The problem with wish lists in the past is that they were maintained across multiple retailer websites, and each list is limited to the merchandise of that particular store. Wishfinity has made the process much easier by allowing you and your loved ones to collect all your Nowruz wishes into a single site and universal wishlist app. People can simply click on the item they want to gift and purchase it directly from the original retailer or simply see what the gift receiver wants.
Wishfinity is a massive online registry that allows you to connect with all of the online retailers you want including Neiman Marcus, Wayfair, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, American Eagle, Etsy just to name a few. It combines thousands of different brands, which allows you to manage every gift you want into a single online and mobile wish list.
Organize For The Holidays
The Wishfinity wishlist app comes with a lot of cool features that make it ideal for giving and receiving gifts. You can connect with anyone you expect to trade wishes with throughout the year, for any holiday, and sort their wishes by price or date. This means you can organize a list with specific items that are suitable as Nowruz gifts or birthdays or any other times where you're looking to provide the perfect gift. These wishes can then be shared with friends and family via social media or email or even tell them your unique wish link. Before you know it, everyone is exchanging exactly what's wanted and no longer guessing and what to gift.