California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 91

Introduced by Assembly Member Nazarian

(Coauthors: Assembly Members Ammiano, Atkins, Bloom, Dababneh, Quirk-Silva, Ting, Wagner, and Weber)

(Coauthors: Senators Mitchell and Yee)

February 4, 2014

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 91—Relative to the Persian New Year.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

ACR 91, as introduced, Nazarian. Persian New Year.

This measure would recognize the Persian New Year celebration.

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, Nowrūz, meaning the “New Day” is the name of
the New Year in the Persian calendar; and

WHEREAS, Nowrūz marks the first day of spring and the
beginning of the year in the Persian calendar. It is celebrated on
the day of the astronomical Northward equinox, which usually
occurs on March 20 or the following day depending on where it
is observed; and

WHEREAS, In Persian mythology, King Jamshid is credited with the founding of Nowrūz, while others suggest that it was founded by Zoroaster himself, although there is no clear date of its origin. Celebrating the Vernal equinox may also have been an old Babylonian tradition known before 2340 B.C.; and

WHEREAS, Nowrūz is celebrated and observed principally in
Iran and has spread to other parts of the world, including parts of
Central Asia, Caucasus, Northwestern China, the Crimea, and
some groups in the Balkans. In Iran, Nowrūz is an official holiday
lasting for 13 days during which most national functions, including
schools, are off and festivities take place. Also the Canadian
parliament, by unanimous consent, passed a bill on March 30,
2009 to add Nowrūz to the national calendar of Canada; and

WHEREAS, The most important activity in the celebration of
Nowrūz is setting the “haft-seen table” which literally means a
table of seven items that start with the letter “s.” The table often
includes items such as sumac (crushed spice of berries), senjed
(sweet dry fruit of a lotus tree), serkeh (vinegar), and seeb (apples);
and

WHEREAS, Nowrūz invites us to contemplate nature’s power
of renewal and rejuvenation, to look more deeply, not just into the
green world outside, but at our human nature as well; and

WHEREAS, For the people celebrating Nowrūz, it is a time to
appreciate their rich heritage and to move forward with hope for
a prosperous new year ahead filled with health, wealth, love, joy,
and success; now therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature joins the Persian and other
communities throughout the state in celebrating March 20, 2014,
as the beginning of the Persian New Year and extends best wishes
for a peaceful and prosperous Nowrūz to all Californians; and be
it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
of this resolution to the authors for appropriate distribution.