The war has struck the most important holiday of the Persian calendar. On Wednesday, the Iranian Red Crescent and fire department banned street gatherings for the Chaharshanbe Suri holiday — an ancient fire festival in which people jump over bonfires as a symbol of purification and the victory of light over darkness. The festival traditionally precedes Nowruz, the Persian New Year. The reason given for the ban is "ensuring public safety, protecting emergency service resources, and reducing the burden on the healthcare system," which is strained by thousands of people wounded in the war. Al Jazeera ↗
Despite the ban on public celebrations, Iranian authorities are organizing their own street events across the country — including a "burning of Trump" in place of the traditional bonfire rituals. The regime is trying to maintain control over the narrative and present an image of defiance against American and Israeli aggression. Al Jazeera ↗
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the opportunity to send "Nowruz wishes" to the Iranian people — a gesture widely seen as propaganda in the context of ongoing Israeli airstrikes on Iranian cities. For millions of Iranians in the diaspora, this year's Nowruz is marked by anxiety. An American writer of Iranian origin described a feeling of "vertigo" at the fact that his native country is under fire from the country in which he lives. NPR ↗
Nowruz overshadowed by war: Iran bans fire celebrations, Netanyahu sends Iranians "New Year wishes"
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