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Iranians spending time in nature on last day of Nowruz holidays

Tuesday, 02 April 2019 9:03 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 02 April 2019 9:25 AM ]

The photo shows Iranians picnicking on Nature’s Day, also known as Sizdah Bedar, in Tehran on April 2, 2018. (by Mehr)

Iranians are spending time picnicking outdoors with family and friends to celebrate national Nature’s Day, also known in Persian as Sizdah Bedar, on the last day of Nowruz festivities.

The ancient festival of nature falls on the 13th day of Farvardin, the first month of the Iranian calendar, and the final day of the two-week Persian New Year (Nowruz) holidays, which began on March 21.

PressTV-Nowruz celebrations: Iranians ring in Persian New Year

Iranians all over the world are celebrating the ancient festival of Nowruz , a holiday that marks the arrival of spring and the Persian New Year.

On Sidzah Bedar, which literally means 13 outdoors, it is customary for Iranians to head out to parks or countryside on picnics, play games and have special food in the fresh spring air.

Among the traditions of Sidzah Bedar is throwing Sabzeh -- a patch of grown sprouts kept as an item on the Haft-Seen table -- into a stream, river or where water flows.

Haft-Seen table is a tabletop arrangement of seven items alliteratively beginning with the letter “Seen” in the Persian Alphabet, which sounds similar to “S.”

Another tradition is for single people, especially young girls, to tie the leaves of the greenery before discarding it, expressing a wish to get married in the year ahead.

PressTV-Iran floods: New alerts issued as heavy rains continue

Emergency alerts and evacuation orders have been issued in several provinces, where heavy rainfalls have triggered raging torrents of water.

This year’s Nowruz festivities were, however, marred by adverse weather conditions, including heavy rains and flash floods, in several Iranian provinces.

Dozens of people have been killed in the flooding countrywide.

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