TEHRAN It is very difficult to say something new about Norouz, the ancient Iranian national festival. Everybody knows what a national festival is. Many people have written about Norouz, and if the Earth continues to exist, many others will do so in the future.

People have celebrated this festival for centuries. It is not an artificial social custom or an imposed political celebration. Rather, it is the universal festival of nature, and it belongs to the world.

As new civilizations become more complicated, the need for renewed recognition of nature becomes even more necessary. Unlike other traditions which grow old with the lapse of time, Norouz becomes younger and younger as the years go by.

According to Islamic traditions, the appointment of Imam Ali (AS) as successor to the holy prophet (S) occurred on the New Year's Day, or Norouz. Following this event, the Iranians celebrated this festival even more gloriously than before.

Norouz festival, which only had a national identity before the advent of Islam, was later supported by this great religion as well. In other words, the national tradition of Iranians became intertwined with their religious blief and infused new life into this festival.

As historians say, one year the Ashura mourning ceremony coincided with Norouz under the Safavi rule. The Safavi king ordered the Iranian people to mourn the event of Ashura on that day and celebrate Norouz the next day.