Iranian Politics and Law Quarterly

Iranian Politics and Law Quarterly

Nowruz, the Religious and National Identity of Iranians

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Much has been said and written in describing and introducing Nowruz rituals. Numerous rich and valuable sources from past eras are available on Nowruz and its associated rituals, covering the myths of the Nowruz festival, theology, cosmology, astronomy, and the customs and traditions linked to Nowruz rituals, as well as their relation to Iranshahr and the Iranian kingship during the Sassanian era. In the modern period, archaeological findings and the research of archaeologists, along with comparative studies by historians, mythologists, specialists in ancient languages and writing systems, and both Western and Iranian Iranologists, have provided us with credible and useful scientific information about Nowruz rituals. This article, however, does not aim to discuss the Nowruz rituals and customs per se. Rather, its approach and perspective from beginning to end are theoretical and philosophical, focusing on the relationship between Nowruz rituals and the national and religious identity of Iranians. It is believed that this type of theoretical and philosophical perspective on Nowruz rituals is somewhat lacking compared to the historical, comparative, and field studies conducted thus far.
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