1 to 13 Farvardin, from the spring equinox (about 20 March)
Nowruz, the "new day", is the Persian New Year. It begins at the exact moment of the spring equinox and has been celebrated for some three thousand years.
Families gather around the haft-sin, a table set with seven things whose names begin with the letter sin. Many households place the Divan of Hafez on it, beside or instead of the Quran.
At the turn of the year, someone opens the Divan and reads the fal for the year ahead. The thirteen days that follow are for visiting, and the thirteenth is spent outdoors.