TEHRAN - On the eve of the first International Day of Noruz, the United Nations secretary general expressed hope that “people around the world will draw on this festival’s history and customs to promote harmony with the natural world and foster global peace and goodwill.”

Noruz begins on March 21, the first day of spring.
Following is the full text of Ban Ki-moon’s message, a copy of which was sent to the Mehr News Agency and the Tehran Times by the UN Information Center (UNIC) of Tehran:
“The General Assembly’s decision this year to recognize the International Day of Noruz is evidence of a growing global awareness of the holiday’s significance not only in the regions where it is celebrated but around the world.
“For millennia, when the sun crosses the equator and the northern hemisphere enters Spring, peoples in the Balkans, the Black Sea Basin, the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Middle East and other regions have carried out their own special traditions in celebration of Noruz. These rituals, from repainting homes to visiting friends to preparing symbolic meals, are infused with a spirit of renewal and can inspire not only those conducting them but all people.
“As we commemorate this first International Day of Noruz, I hope countries and people around the world will draw on this festival’s history and customs to promote harmony with the natural world and foster global peace and goodwill.”