Unity Treeby Barbra Curry
The origins of Naw Rúz are linked to the pastoral fertility festivals of Naw Rúz and Mihrajan, the corresponding festival of the autumnal equinox in September, the two great annual festivals of Zoroastrianism.
Originally a sombre festival dedicated to the spirits of the dead, it was held over five days commencing ten days before Naw Rúz. This was followed by a further five day celebration, corresponding to the Bahá'í Ayyam-i-Ha. Later, Naw Rúz gradually became a secular vacation. It continued to be observed even after the triumph of Islam in Iran. The Muslim Kings, like their Zoroastrian predecessors, celebrated Naw Rúz with great magnificence.
Shi'i Traditions attributed considerable religious significance to Naw-Ruz: it was considered the time of God's first covenant with man, the first rising of the sun, the time of the grounding of Noah's Ark on Mt Ararat; the time of Gabriel's first appearance to Muhammad; the destruction of the idols in the Ka'bih by Ali, Muhammad's appointment of Ali as His successor; the appearance of the Qaim, and the final triumph of the Qaim over the Antichrist. Such traditions echoed similar accounts of Naw-Ruz found in Zoroastrian literature.
In the Badi calendar of the Bab, Naw-Ruz is the day of Baha, the day of God (yawmu'llah), the day associated with Him Whom God shall make manifest, the Promised One. During the night of Naw-Ruz, the Bab indicated that each believer was to recite 361 times the verse "God beareth witness that there is no God but Him, the Ineffable, the Self-subsistent"; and during the day, "God beareth witness that there is no God but Him, the Precious, the Beloved."
Baha'u'llah adopted the Babi holy day of Naw-Ruz as the feast day following the fast and stressed that it is associated with the Most Great Name, bearing as it does Baha'u'llah's own name. Abdu'l Baha explained the significance of Naw-Ruz in terms of the symbolism of the new life of spring.