This auspicious ceremony began with the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran at eight o'clock in the first night of Farvardin, 1403, corresponding to March 20, 2024, and continued with the screening of selected Nowruz music videos. Then Mr. Abolghasemi, Cultural Counselor, in a short speech, while welcoming the ambassador, congratulated the resident Iranians on the arrival of the new year, which this year coincides with the holy month of Ramadan. He went on to say that one of the important and main preparations of Iranians to welcome the new year is the "Haft-Seen", which is typically arranged hours before the turn of the year and gathered on the 13th of Farvardin. Iranians prepare their tables with seven objects that symbolize the victory of good over evil. This belief dates back to ancient times, but this practice is still alive and today this beautiful table is spread in honor of you dear ones so that you can spend happy moments together. Wishing you a year full of blessings, spirituality, health, and happiness, the speaker concluded his remarks by reciting verses from the poetry of Hafez, praising the arrival of spring.

 

 

Further, Mr. Esmaeil Zadeh, the ambassador of our country, in his speech while congratulating the arrival of the new year and the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, said: during his eight months of stay in the Philippines, important measures were taken in the political and cultural fields, including bilateral negotiations and the meeting of the joint advisory committee with the presence of The political deputy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, who traveled to the Philippines at the head of a delegation, and signed a memorandum of understanding on cultural cooperation between Iran and the Philippines, which had not been done during these years, and also according to the negotiations with the Philippine authorities. A growing trend is observed in the field of trade and economy. He further expressed his hope that in the near future a consular meeting will be held with the presence of the new head of the consul to deal with the requests and problems of the compatriots and that the interaction between the embassy and the compatriots will expand as much as possible in the new year.

 

In the following, Mr. Nader Saeedi, one of the pioneers in the field of Iranology, spoke about the philosophy of Nowruz and said that the Iranian calendar is the most accurate solar calendar in the world, which has been developed since the 11th century based on the knowledge of cosmology and mathematics. Then the Iranian New Year occurs exactly at the beginning of the spring season and it is in a situation where the length of night and day are the same and equal to 12 hours, and a large number of Iranians around the world, due to the time difference, at the same time as the people of Iran celebrate the moment of arrival of the year. They celebrate and welcome spring. This ancient Nowruz celebration is held in more than 32 countries that were part of the Persian Empire in the past and are now independent to keep the Iranian New Year alive.

 

 

Due to the large population and more familiarity with the Iranian calendar, UNESCO approved the Iranian calendar and New Year as a cultural heritage a few years ago, and after that, the United Nations General Assembly officially declared the Iranian calendar and Nowruz as an international event. It is interesting to know that some of the traditions of Iranian New Year have spread all over the world, that signs of Iranian culture and civilization can be seen in front of the United Nations headquarters and many buildings in the world. Then he explained in detail about the seven objects included in the Haft Sin table, such as: garlic, vinegar, coins, senjad, sumac, semno, and green, which symbolize the victory of good over evil.

 

Given the significance and special place that Nowruz holds in the culture and history of Iran and various regions worldwide, this celebration is recognized as one of the important cultural heritages of humanity and holding this celebration preserves, expands the culture national, human values and has an important role in promoting global culture.

 

Broadcasting selected Nowruz music videos, reciting poems describing spring by some guests, and performing a magic show were among the other memorable programs of this night, and at the end, the guests were treated to a reception.