Nowruz, Shared By 12 Countries, Registered by UNESCO

UNESCO has registered the Nowruz celebrations as shared practices of 12 countries. Azerbaijan, India, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan were listed by the UN agency in 2009 as countries where Nowruz is celebrated.
A new proposal was prepared last year to include 5 more countries namely Afghanistan, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
The 2-week Nowruz festivities kick off on the 21st day of March each year. They include various customs such as special meals, family visits, public rituals and street performances.
In the third day of the 11th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage that has been underway in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the multinational case of Nowruz was finally inscribed in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Following the inscription, Mohammad Hassan Talebian, Iran’s deputy head of Cultural Heritage, began his address by reciting a poem by the great fourteenth century Iranian poet Hafiz, adding "Nowruz is the manifestation of wisdom, moderation, and hope for life.”
Iranian Ambassador to UNESCO Ahmad Jalali who headed the Iranian delegation at the global conference on the Intangible Cultural Heritage, delivered a lecture on the significance of Nowruz and its message.