NEW DELHI: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar extended greetings to the people on Navroz, Parsi New Year on Wednesday. Taking to social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Vice President said, "Warm greetings on the auspicious occasion of Navroz, which marks the beginning of the Parsi New Year. Embodying rejuvenation, optimism, and hope, the festival of Navroz is an occasion for friends and family to come together in the celebration of kinship, unity and fraternity."
"May this #Navroz bring health, happiness and prosperity to everyone’s lives," he wrote.
The Parsi community across India is celebrating their New Year today. Parsi New Year, which is also called Navroz or Nowruz, marks the beginning of spring and the renewal of nature. In Persian, ‘Nav’ means new, and ‘Roz’ stands for the day, this literally translates to ‘new day’. Navroz celebration is believed to date back to the time when Prophet Zarathustra founded Zoroastrianism, one of the earliest known monotheistic religions in the world, in Persia (now Iran).
It was one of the most important religions in the ancient world until the emergence of Islam in the seventh century. During the invasion of Persia, several Persians fled to India and Pakistan. Since then, their festivals have become a part of Indian festivities and are celebrated by people from diverse cultures.
People from the Parsi community celebrate Navroz in special ways. They decorate their house with flower garlands swinging from the doors. They wear new clothes and visit the Zoroastrian fire temple.