(Dubai) – Persian-speaking expats celebrated the beginning of the Persian New Year, Nowruz with the Haft Seen (Seven S’s) ritual of placing seven items on a table, hoping for good fortune. Nowruz, which literally means new day, has been celebrated for some 3,000 years, mainly in Iran, Afghanistan and other countries influenced by ancient Persia.
In the UAE, Iranians, Afghans and other expat communities such as Tajiks and Uzbeks, rang in Nowruz by gathering around Haft Seen. Nowruz falls on or close to March 21, when night and day become equal in length, heralding Spring.