Artist: Ahmad Barakizadeh
By Kayhan Life Staff
This year’s Nowruz (Persian New Year) brought with it a renewed and stronger sense of hope among Iranians critical of the Islamic Republic and opposition groups that a change of government might be possible after more than four decades of clerical rule marked by violence, oppression, and rampant corruption.
For the third year in a row, Nowruz coincided with Ramadan. This year, it also coincided with the Martyrdom of Imam Ali, which occurred on Friday, March 21st. However, many Iranians disregarded religious observances.
Instead, the 2025 Nowruz celebrations saw a resurgence of symbols of Iranian unity that the Islamic Republic has long suppressed. The festivities began with Chaharshanbeh Suri, or the Festival of Fire, celebrated on the last Tuesday before Nowruz.
Across Iran, including the culturally rich city of Shiraz—the birthplace of the famed Persian poets Saʿdī and Ḥāfeẓ—Iranians held protests at significant locations.
From the historic site of Pasargadae, once the capital of the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to Tus, where the esteemed 10th-century poet Ferdowsi is laid to rest, and Nishapur, the hometown of the polymath Omar Khayyam, who is internationally recognized for his contributions to mathematics, philosophy, astronomy, and his influential poetry in “Rubaiyat,” large crowds came together in a unified welcome for the year 1404 (which corresponds to 2584 in the Persian calendar).
Iranian revelers sang “Ey Iran,” a patriotic anthem often associated with opposition to the current regime, and raised slogans supporting Prince Reza Pahlavi.
Dr. Jessica Emami, an adjunct professor of sociology at the American University spoke to Kayhan Life’s Editor Nazenin Ansari about the importance of the Nowruz celebrations in Iran, and the growing divide between Iran’s regime and the country.
