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Why not all in Iran celebrate the Iranian New Year

While Nowruz is a relaxing 13-day holiday for most Iranians, the high number of road fatalities makes Nowruz also a time of sadness for many.
Iranian women talk in a taxi in the city of Isfahan, 400 kms south of Tehran on March 18, 2008 few days before the Persian new year, or Noruz, which starts on March 21. AFP PHOTO/FRED DUFOUR (Photo credit should read FRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images)

TEHRAN — Most countries around the world ring in the new year Jan. 1. Iranians, however, celebrate their new year, known as Nowruz, on the first day of spring. This is followed by a 13-day holiday, which this year began March 21 and ended April 2. The holiday may last as long as 20 days for some, as it is not rare for Iranians to begin their break five days prior to the new year and go back to work two days after the holiday officially ends. While the Nowruz holiday is a great time to relax, it triggers sad memories for some.

Indeed, Nowruz road accidents are nothing new in Iran. However, the severity of the situation has prompted the country’s Legal Medicine Organization to designate a part of its website to the issue, providing visitors with graphs of Nowruz road fatalities compared with other causes of deaths, such as suicide, homicide and electrocution.

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