TEHRAN – Tehran’s Milad Tower will host an international ceremony in honor of Persian New Year or Noruz on February 28.

Ambassadors, diplomats and cultural figures of various countries have been invited for the event, Mehr reported on Monday.

Noruz, which usually falls on March 21st every year, marks the beginning of spring across a vast geographical area including Iran, Azerbaijan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Iraq. It is registered on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO.

The event will stage programs by artists, performance troupes, and craftspeople from regional states. It will also present lectures on Noruz rituals and its history in the region.

Traditions that are practiced in Noruz vary from place to place, ranging from leaping over fires and streams in Iran to tightrope walking, lighting candles at house doors, traditional games such as horse racing or the traditional wrestling practiced in Kyrgyzstan.

AFM/MG