Celebrating Nowruz as the COVID-19 impacts the global community
Updated 04:27, 22-Mar-2020
CGTN

This year's Nowruz celebrations is nothing like the ones I have seen in the past 30 years. 

Nowruz marks the Persian New Year and the start of spring--- kicking off 13 days of festivities. It is a major holiday in Iran when the country goes on vacation. 

It is a unifying event that despite all hardships and brings Iranians together in celebration around the world. 

But this year, is a different story. 

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Nowruz celebrations have been hampered as the disease has ravaged the country. 

"Did-o-baz-did" or socializing during the New Year is replaced by video calls on FaceTime. And shopping and celebration preparations have cut to a minimum. This is not only happening in Iran but also in the U.S. 

I am among the lucky ones to be able to celebrate Nowruz with my family here in the U.S.

A friend in Iran told me, "When all you think about is survival, Nowruz takes a back seat."

Despite our new reality, we remain hopeful and focus on the positive. We set up our colorful "haftseens" and call our friends and families and focus on bringing in a New Year, a new beginning and hopefully, an end to this pandemic in the future.

I suppose this is the new normal...at least for the moment.

Nowruz mobarak!

Elmira Jafari is a producer with CGTN.

We also heard from CGTN's Laleh Tavakoli about what this time of year means to her. Here's what she had to say.

Nowruz is one of the biggest celebrations in Iran. We are celebrating to welcome new season, spring.

It is so important to us that all family get together and counting down for Nowruz. For me and many other people who live away from their homes & parents this time of the year it's difficult and different . Luckily, I have my brothers family here , so I'm not alone . For Nowruz usually I would go to my brother's house and we video call with our parents and sisters and celebrating together.

But this year, ringing of the new year is different and more difficult for me because I'm staying home and not going to my brother's. For me, it is so emotional and harder than ever.

This is the first holiday that I am spending without my parents, my brother , my sisters and my sisters-in-law, my niece and nephews. Literally I feel like I've just moved to a different country.

But we need to be strong and get pass through this coronavirus pandemic. More than ever I do wish health, love and peace for everybody around the World.

Happy Nowruz!