Persian New Year 2026
Persian New Year — Nowruz — begins at the exact moment of the March equinox: Friday 20 March 2026, 14:46 UTC (18:16 Tehran). Here is the precise time in every major city, the thirteen-day calendar, and the Haft-Sin table explained item by item.
When is Persian New Year 2026?
Persian New Year 2026 falls on Friday 20 March 2026 at 14:46 UTC — 18:16 in Tehran, 10:46 a.m. in New York, 2:46 p.m. in London and 7:46 a.m. in Los Angeles. That instant, called Tahvil-e Sāl, is the vernal equinox: the moment the sun crosses the celestial equator heading north. It opens the Iranian solar year 1405.
The exact equinox moment where you are
| City | Local time | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Tehran (IRST, UTC+3:30) | 18:16 | Fri 20 March 2026 |
| Kabul (UTC+4:30) | 19:16 | Fri 20 March 2026 |
| Dushanbe (UTC+5) | 19:46 | Fri 20 March 2026 |
| Baku (UTC+4) | 18:46 | Fri 20 March 2026 |
| London (GMT) | 14:46 | Fri 20 March 2026 |
| Berlin / Paris (CET) | 15:46 | Fri 20 March 2026 |
| New York (EDT) | 10:46 | Fri 20 March 2026 |
| Toronto (EDT) | 10:46 | Fri 20 March 2026 |
| Los Angeles (PDT) | 07:46 | Fri 20 March 2026 |
| Sydney (AEDT) | 01:46 | Sat 21 March 2026 |
Persian New Year 2026–2030
| Iranian year | Gregorian date | Equinox (UTC) | Tehran time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1405 | 20 March 2026 | 14:46 | 18:16 |
| 1406 | 20 March 2027 | 20:25 | 23:55 |
| 1407 | 20 March 2028 | 02:17 | 05:47 |
| 1408 | 20 March 2029 | 08:02 | 11:32 |
| 1409 | 20 March 2030 | 13:52 | 17:22 |
Times are astronomical and accurate to within a minute; Iran abolished daylight saving in 2022, so Tehran remains UTC+3:30 all year.
The Haft-Sin table, item by item
The centrepiece of the Persian New Year is the Haft-Sin — "seven S's" — a table laid with seven symbolic items whose Persian names begin with the letter س. The count is exact: seven, for the seven Amesha Spenta of Zoroastrian cosmology.
| Item | Persian | What it is | Symbolises |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sabzeh | سبزه | Wheat, barley or lentil sprouts grown in a dish two weeks before | Rebirth and the return of green |
| Samanu | سمنو | Sweet pudding made from germinated wheat, cooked overnight | Affluence and the reward of patience |
| Senjed | سنجد | Dried oleaster (Russian olive) fruit | Love and wisdom |
| Seer | سیر | Garlic | Health and medicine |
| Seeb | سیب | Apple | Beauty and good health |
| Somaq | سماق | Crushed sumac berries | The colour of sunrise; the victory of light |
| Serkeh | سرکه | Vinegar | Age, patience and wisdom |
What happens, day by day
| Date | Name | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Tue 17 March 2026 (eve) | Chaharshanbe Suri | Bonfires in the streets; jumping the flames chanting 'sorkhi-ye to az man, zardi-ye man az to' |
| Fri 20 March 2026, 18:16 | Tahvil-e Sāl | The equinox moment; families gather at the Haft-Sin, elders give eidi |
| 21 March – 1 April | Did-o-Bāzdid | Twelve days of visits — elders first, then siblings, friends and neighbours |
| Thu 2 April 2026 | Sizdah Bedar | Nature Day: every household picnics outdoors and throws the sabzeh into running water |
Schools and most offices in Iran close for the first four to thirteen days. Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iraqi Kurdistan and Albania also observe public holidays; the United Nations has marked 21 March as the International Day of Nowruz since 2010.
What to say and what to cook
The standard greeting is Nowruz Mobarak (نوروز مبارک) — "Happy Nowruz". Formal alternatives are Sāl-e no mobārak ("Happy New Year") and the classical Eid-e shomā mobārak. In Afghanistan and Tajikistan you will also hear Navruz muborak.
| Dish | Persian | When it is eaten |
|---|---|---|
| Herb rice with smoked fish | Sabzi polo bā māhi | The first dinner of the new year |
| Herb frittata | Kuku sabzi | New Year's eve and the following days |
| Noodle rice with meat | Reshteh polo | Eaten to 'take hold of the thread' of the coming year |
| Chickpea shortbread | Nān-e nokhodchi | Offered to every visitor during the twelve days |
| Baklava, toot and sohan | Shirini-ye Nowruz | The sweets tray, refilled throughout the visits |
| Lettuce with mint syrup | Kāhu sekanjabin | Sizdah Bedar picnic |
For the full history of the festival — its Zoroastrian roots, the Achaemenid tribute processions at Persepolis, and its UNESCO inscription — read our long-form study of Nowruz, or the winter-solstice companion festival Yalda.
Persian New Year 2026 — frequently asked questions
Related reading
Spring equinox, Haft-Sin, Chaharshanbe Suri and Sizdah Bedar — Iran's 3,000-year-old UNESCO new year.
Nowruz, Yalda, Mehregan, Sadeh, Tirgan — the ceremonial year.
Iran's winter-solstice festival — pomegranate, watermelon and Hafez on the longest night of the year. UNESCO 2022.
Saffron, rice, kebab, stews, tea and sofreh — the Persian table.
Taarof, hospitality, festivals, music, and everyday life.
Zarathustra, Ahura Mazda and the fire — the ancient Iranian faith that shaped Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
References
All imagery is sourced from Wikimedia Commons, public-domain museum collections (British Museum, Louvre, Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Museum of Iran), or UNESCO World Heritage records. No AI-generated images are used. Scholarly text is synthesized from Encyclopædia Iranica, the Cambridge History of Iran, and peer-reviewed publications.