While the phrase “new year” might conjure images of cold weather, Times Square, and champagne for many of us in this part of the world, this certainly isn't the case for everyone. Cultures and creeds across the globe celebrate the new year at different times and in different ways, many of which look much different from what you may be used to.
Read on to discover celebrations of rebirth, renewal, and reflection held throughout the year.
Nowruz
Persian (first day of spring)
Nowruz, a word meaning “new day” in Persian, marks the first day of spring. A celebration of renewal, rebirth, and growth, this “Iranian New Year” with ancient roots in the Zoroastrian religion is celebrated by millions throughout the Middle East, southeastern Europe, and Central Asia. In 2010, Nowruz became a UNESCO-recognized holiday, with the United Nations adding International Nowruz Day to its “Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
A centerpiece of the Nowruz celebration is the Haft Seen Table. This traditional table is set with haft, the Persian word for seven, items beginning with the letter S, pronounced as seen, that symbolize growth and new life. Common items found on a Haft Seen Table include seeb (apples), sabzeh (wheat, barley, or lentil sprouts), samanu (wheat pudding), senjed (oleaster fruit), serkeh (vinegar), sonbol (hyacinth), seer (garlic), and somaq (sumac). Other items of symbolic meaning may also be included on the table, including coins, candles, a mirror, decorated eggs, a book of poetry, or the Quran.
In the days leading up to Nowruz, Chaharshanbe Suri is observed as the first event of the holiday on the last Wednesday of the year. Known also as Scarlet Wednesday, the First Jumping Festival, or the Festival of Fire, this fun and revered celebration represents the triumph of light over darkness. As participants jump over the fire, they rid themselves of the past year’s misfortunes, purifying themselves to welcome the blessings of the new year.
Haft Seen table, Clémence Polès
Chaharshanbe Suri In Iran, SUFIRAN Mag
Soyal
Hopi (Winter Solstice)
Observed on the shortest day of the year, the Soyal Ceremony is a celebration of the sun’s return. In Hopi belief, Tawa, the sun spirit, is the creator of all life. As Tawa returns, so do the Kachinas–benevolent spirits that guard over the Hopi people and provide them with blessings. Small dolls, traditionally carved from the roots of trees, are created as representations of the Kachina spirits and gifted to children to guide them in their education of Hopi culture and spirituality.
Before the Kachinas arrive from their home in the San Francisco Peaks, prayer sticks called pahos are made of pine needles and feathers to bless the community sixteen days before the Soyal Ceremony. Once the underground ritual chamber called a kiva is opened, the Kachina will arrive. The ceremony is one of dancing, prayers, and offerings of corn as the community asks their Kachina protectors for blessings, health, and abundance. For the Hopi, Soyal is crucial in order to ensure the wellbeing and success of the community in the year to come.
The Soyal Ceremony is both a deeply spiritual ritual and communal event that allows the Hopi people to connect with their traditions, honor their ancestors, and reaffirm their relationship with the natural world. The Soyal Ceremony also helps allow younger generations to continue to uphold the values of respect, gratitude, and harmony with nature. These values are passed down through oral traditions, rituals, and the teachings of the Kachinas, keeping the culture and spirit of the Hopi people alive.
Representation of Tawa the sun spirit, National Park Service
Drawings of kachina dolls, Plate 11 (1894), Dolls of the Tusayan Indians by Jesse Walter Fewkes
Matariki Festival
Māori (June/July)
The indigenous Māori people of Aotearoa or New Zealand celebrate the new year with the winter rising of the Pleaides star cluster, known to the Māori as Matariki, in the eastern sky. For the Māori, the movement and placement of celestial bodies is deeply important to all aspects of daily life, culture, and spirituality. Māori legend says that the star cluster represents a whaea (mother) named Matariki and her six daughters, Tupuānuku, Tupuārangi, Waipunarangi, Waitī, Waitā and Ururangi, who surround her in the sky.
The Matariki Festival is a celebration of reflection, remembrance, and looking towards the future. Having almost been lost to time due to colonization, the Matariki Festival has found a resurgence in popularity in recent decades as many have begun rejecting the ideals of colonization in order to reconnect with their culture and revive once lost practices. In 2022, the New Zealand government declared the Matariki Festival a national holiday.
Today, the Festival is commemorated with public events and traditional Māori performances, including haka (a ceremonial dance and chant) and waita (songs), as well as through smaller-scale celebrations with family and friends to reflect on the past together while planning for the year ahead.
Matariki star cluster, NASA
Te Taumata Kapa Haka performers, OurAuckland
Songkran
Thai (mid-April)
If you plan on visiting Thailand between April 13th and 15th, be sure to bring a poncho! Songkran, the Thai New Year festival, is known for its massive water fights. Deriving from the Sanskrit word meaning “to move” or “to pass into”, Songkran begins when the sun enters into Aries–the constellation representing the first sign in the zodiac.
Traditionally, the festival is observed with water pouring ceremonies. Scented water is poured over sacred images of Buddha in temples throughout Thailand, as well as over the hands and feet of elders in an act of respect by younger generations. While these sacred traditions are still carried out, nation-wide water fights have now become the norm during Songkran, with water guns, buckets, and hoses being found almost everywhere you go. Whether carefully poured by a monk in a temple or haphazardly thrown from a bucket in the street, the water of Songkran is a symbol of purification and renewal, washing away negativity from the year before and marking a fresh start.
In addition to the water fights, Songkran features parades and street fairs that offer traditional food, dances, clothing, and more. Khao Chae, a cool, floral rice dish, is a staple during the festival, as well as other Thai foods including som tam (papaya salad), moo ping (grilled pork skewers), and kanom chan (layered coconut milk and tapioca dessert).
Water splashing during Songkran, Phrae Provincial Cultural Office
Khao chae (soaked rice), Max Wittawat
Rosh Hashanah
Jewish (September/October)
In early fall, the first of the Jewish High Holy Days is celebrated at the start of the new year. Rosh Hashanah falls at the beginning of the Hebrew month Tishrei and lasts two days. The holiday is one of reflection and intention-setting, as well as a celebration of what is believed to be the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve.
The holiday begins with prayer services and the sounding of the shofar–a trumpet made from a ram’s horn.There are four traditional shofar notes, each with its own symbolic meaning– tekiah (long note) is the call to attention, shevarim (three short notes) represents weeping, teruah (nine staccato notes) is a wake-up call to the new year, and tekiah gedolah (very long note) is the final wrap-up. After services, families will come together to eat.
The Rosh Hashanah feast includes foods with symbolic meanings that each hold their own spiritual significance. Round challah bread represents the cyclical nature of the year and the continuity of life, apples and honey expresses hope for a sweet year ahead, and pomegranates symbolize a desire for a year filled with as many good deeds as there are seeds in a pomegranate. It’s also customary to avoid bitter foods at the Rosh Hashanah feast in order to avoid bitterness in the year ahead.
Man blowing a shofar (1930s), Library of Congress
Challah Crowns, Food Network
Diwali
Hindu/Indian (October/November)
Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, is one of the most widely celebrated festivals throughout India and among Hindu communities across the globe. With roots in the Sanskrit word deepavali meaning “row of lights”, Diwali commemorates the spiritual victory of dharma over adharma, knowledge over ignorance, and light over darkness.
Diwali is celebrated across five days with some regional variations: Dhanteras, Choti Diwali, Lakshmi Puja, Govardhan Puja, and Bhai Duj. On Dhanteras, it’s traditional to clean the home, honor the goddess Lakshmi, and shop for the holiday. Choti Diwali is referred to as “small Diwali” and is a day for decoration, usually using clay lamps and rangoli (colorful sand arrangements). Lakshmi Puja is a day of celebration, feasting, fireworks, and worship. On this day, a puja (worship service) is held for the goddess Lakshmi and god Ganesha. The first day of the new year, Govardhan Puja, is celebrated by exchanging gifts and visiting friends and family. Finally, Bhai Duj is a day dedicated to the bond between siblings, with sisters and brothers spending the day together.
While Diwali has Hindu roots, it is celebrated throughout India regardless of creed. Nowadays, Diwali celebrations have spread across the world as migrants from South Asia share their rich culture and vibrant traditions.
Lakshmi (1894), The Metropolitan Museum of Art
