19 Beautiful Pictures From Celebrations Of The Persian New Year

Nowruz, meaning "new day" in Persian, is a secular holiday to mark the start of spring and the new year on the Iranian calendar.

1. Tehran, Iran

AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi

Tehran's old main bazaar bustles with activity, as vendors and shopkeepers work and wait for customers preparing for Nowruz.

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AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi

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Atta Kenare/AFP

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Amin Mohammad Jamali / Getty Images

Iranians traditionally decorate a ceremonial table of Nowruz with goldfish, wheat grass, candles, mirrors, and other symbolic items.

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Amin Mohammad Jamali / Getty Images

A traditional Haft Sin.

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Amin Mohammad Jamali / Getty Images

A man dressed as a traditional character 'Haji Firouz' heralds in Nowruz.

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Amin Mohammad Jamali / Getty Images

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AP Photo/Vahid Salemi

An elderly Iranian woman looks at the graves of soldiers who were killed during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.

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The Associated Press

10. Kabul, Afghanistan

Ahmad Masood / Reuters

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Mohammad Ismail / Reuters

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Mohammad Ismail / Reuters

13. Erbil, Iraq

Azad Lashkari / Reuters

Iraqi Kurds celebrate in Erbil, in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq.

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Umit Bektas / Reuters

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Salih Bilici/Anadolu Agency / GettyImages

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Salih Bilici/Anadolu Agency / GettyImages

17. Akra, Iraq

SAFIN HAMED/AFP / Getty Images

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SAFIN HAMED/AFP / Getty Images

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SAFIN HAMED/AFP / Getty Images