Happy International Nowruz Day to all those who celebrate!

Nowruz, meaning the ‘new day’, has its spelling varying from country to country, marking the first day of spring (usually occurs on 21 March) and celebrated as the beginning of the new year by more than 300 million people across the globe, with over 3,000-year-long tradition of celebrations in the Balkans, the Black Sea Basin, the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Middle East and other regions.

Nowruz is a rite dating back to at least the 6^th century BCE, marking the new year and ushering in spring. Variously known as Novruz, Nowrouz, Nooruz, Navruz, Nauroz or Nevruz, this historic rite is observed on 21 March in many countries along the Silk Roads, including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Iran, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

UNESCO

As such, The UN perceives Nowruz as “a significant role in strengthening the ties among peoples based on mutual respect and the ideals of peace and good neighbourliness”, a bridge between “the civilizations of the East and West, which influenced those civilizations through the interchange of human values”, to achieve “life in harmony with nature, awareness of the inseparable link between constructive labour and natural cycles of renewal and a solicitous and respectful attitude towards natural sources of life. (UN – International Nowruz Day)

The UNESCO also marks the significance of Nowrus through their platform Celebrating the New Year on the Silk Roads.

Calling QUB international staff and students –

Tell us what cultural festivals and days you celebrate by filling in the form below and we will do our best to help with circulation and celebration at Queen’s.

Calling all staff and students at Queen’s –

At Queen’s we are committed to promoting cultural diversity, equality and inclusion among our communities. The BAME&I Network and The Language Centre invite you to join us to set up a planner of events, including invited talks and culture/language-associated festivals and days that we can celebrate in a range of ways (e.g. culture talks, posters, taster sessions/workshops, performances) at Queen’s and elsewhere.

We value the richness of languages and cultures brought in by staff and students to Queen’s and would welcome BAME&I members, in particular, to share your knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm of your linguistic and cultural events so that we can build up a repertoire and make plans for joint celebrations in the future.