Nowruz 2027: when the year turns
The Persian year 1406 begins at 11:55 PM Tehran time on Saturday, March 20, 2027.
Sal Tahvil in your city
Local time in each city, daylight saving included, to the nearest minute. The last column lists Persian grocers for your Haft-sin shopping.
| City | Sal Tahvil | Haft-sin shopping |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 1:25 PMSaturday, March 20 | 15 Persian grocers |
| San Diego | 1:25 PMSaturday, March 20 | 4 Persian grocers |
| San Francisco Bay Area | 1:25 PMSaturday, March 20 | 10 Persian grocers |
| Sacramento | 1:25 PMSaturday, March 20 | |
| Seattle | 1:25 PMSaturday, March 20 | 4 Persian grocers |
| Phoenix / Scottsdale | 1:25 PMSaturday, March 20 | 2 Persian grocers |
| Las Vegas | 1:25 PMSaturday, March 20 | |
| Vancouver | 1:25 PMSaturday, March 20 | 2 Persian grocers |
| Denver | 2:25 PMSaturday, March 20 | 1 Persian grocer |
| Houston | 3:25 PMSaturday, March 20 | 3 Persian grocers |
| Dallas | 3:25 PMSaturday, March 20 | 1 Persian grocer |
| Austin | 3:25 PMSaturday, March 20 | |
| Chicago | 3:25 PMSaturday, March 20 | 4 Persian grocers |
| New York / New Jersey | 4:25 PMSaturday, March 20 | 2 Persian grocers |
| Washington DC Metro | 4:25 PMSaturday, March 20 | 6 Persian grocers |
| Atlanta | 4:25 PMSaturday, March 20 | 3 Persian grocers |
| Boston | 4:25 PMSaturday, March 20 | 2 Persian grocers |
| Charlotte | 4:25 PMSaturday, March 20 | |
| Toronto | 4:25 PMSaturday, March 20 | 6 Persian grocers |
| Montreal | 4:25 PMSaturday, March 20 | 1 Persian grocer |
| London | 8:25 PMSaturday, March 20 | 23 Persian grocers |
| Tehran | 11:55 PMSaturday, March 20 | |
| Dubai | 12:25 AMSunday, March 21 | |
| Sydney | 7:25 AMSunday, March 21 | 2 Persian grocers |
The Nowruz season, 2027
- Shab-e YaldaThe longest night of the year, at the start of winter. Yalda guide
- Chaharshanbe SuriThe fire festival, on the evening before the year’s last Wednesday.
- Sal Tahvil11:55 PM in Tehran; see your city above.
- 1 Farvardin 1406The first day of the new year, and the start of family visits.
- Sizdah BedarA day outdoors that closes the Nowruz holidays.
Setting the Haft-sin
The Haft-sin table is laid a few days before Sal Tahvil and stays up until Sizdah Bedar. Each of its seven items starts with the letter sin (س) and stands for a wish for the year ahead.
- سبزهSabzehWheat, lentil or mung bean sprouts, for rebirth and growth
- سمنوSamanuA sweet pudding of sprouted wheat, for affluence
- سنجدSenjedDried oleaster fruit, for love
- سیرSeerGarlic, for health
- سیبSeebApples, for beauty
- سماقSomaghSumac berries, for the colour of sunrise
- سرکهSerkehVinegar, for age and patience
Alongside the seven, most tables also hold a mirror, candles, painted eggs, coins, a hyacinth, an orange floating in a bowl of water, and a book: the Divan of Hafez, the Shahnameh or the Quran. A goldfish is traditional too, though many families now use a ceramic or paper fish instead of a live one.
Shopping and sprouting
Start your sabzeh about two weeks ahead, around Sunday, March 7: soak wheat or lentils overnight, spread them on a damp cloth on a plate and keep them moist. In the weeks before Nowruz, Persian grocers stock samanu, senjed and sumac, and many sell sabzeh ready-grown.
Chaharshanbe Suri
On the evening of Tuesday, March 16, 2027, Iranians light bonfires and jump over them, singing “zardi-ye man az to, sorkhi-ye to az man”: take my pallor, give me your red glow. The old year’s sickness goes to the fire, and its warmth and health come back.
The night also has qashogh-zani, when people go door to door in disguise banging spoons on bowls for treats; ajil-e moshkel-gosha, a nut mix shared to ease the year’s troubles; and fal-gush, listening at a corner for a stranger’s words as an omen. In many cities Iranian associations hold a public Chaharshanbe Suri in a park or on a beach. Only light fires where it is allowed.
Sal Tahvil and the Nowruz days
The weeks before bring khaneh-tekani, a top-to-bottom spring clean, and new clothes. At the moment of Sal Tahvil the family gathers around the Haft-sin, often counting down with Iranian television or radio, and some open the Divan of Hafez for a fal. Then come hugs, “Eid-etoon mobarak”, and eidi from the elders: usually crisp new banknotes kept inside the book on the table.
The days that follow are for did-o-bazdid, visiting family, starting with the eldest relatives. Sabzi polo ba mahi, herbed rice with fish, is the dish of Nowruz eve; reshteh polo, kuku sabzi and sweets like nan-e nokhodchi and nan-e berenji fill the rest of the holiday.
Cook for Nowruz
Sabzi Polo ba Mahi
Kuku Sabzi
Ash Reshteh
Nan-e NokhodchiSizdah Bedar
Friday, April 2, 2027 is Sizdah Bedar, the thirteenth day of the year, when you get out of the house. Families spend the day outdoors with a picnic in a park or by a river, and the Haft-sin sabzeh goes into running water to carry the year’s bad luck away. Before letting it go, young people who hope to marry tie a knot in the grass. It is also a day for harmless pranks, the dorugh-e sizdah.
More than 300 million people celebrate Nowruz, from Iran and Afghanistan to Central Asia, the Caucasus and Kurdistan. UNESCO added it to its list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2009, and the United Nations marks 21 March as International Nowruz Day.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Nowruz 2027?
Sal Tahvil, the moment the Persian year 1406 begins, is at 11:55 PM Tehran time on Saturday, March 20, 2027. That is 1:25 PM in Los Angeles, 4:25 PM in Toronto and 8:25 PM in London. The first day of the new year, 1 Farvardin, is Sunday, March 21, 2027.
What is Sal Tahvil?
The moment the sun crosses the March equinox. The Persian calendar starts its year at that instant, so the time changes every year, and Iranians everywhere celebrate at the same moment, whatever their local clock says.
What are the seven S’s of the Haft-sin?
Sabzeh (sprouts), samanu (sweet wheat pudding), senjed (dried oleaster), seer (garlic), seeb (apples), somagh (sumac) and serkeh (vinegar): seven things whose Persian names begin with the letter sin (س).
How do you say Happy Nowruz in Persian?
Nowruz mobarak (نوروز مبارک), or Eid-etoon mobarak (عیدتون مبارک). Sal-e no mobarak (سال نو مبارک) means Happy New Year.
When is Chaharshanbe Suri 2027?
On the evening of Tuesday, March 16, 2027: the Tuesday night before the last Wednesday of the Persian year.
When is Sizdah Bedar 2027?
Friday, April 2, 2027, the thirteenth day of the new year (13 Farvardin).