Norooz Festival     Norooz festival, an ancient and everlasting celebration, starts on the first day of spring (March 21) and lasts for 13 days. Although its historical origin is not known, it is certain that Norooz had been celebrated by kings and people throughout the monarchy of Achamenids and Sasanids and after the extinction of Yazdgerd's royal family, through Islam's pervasive jurisdiction, to the modern age of 21st century. In Zoroastrianism, the annual seasonal renewal festival of Norooz in the spring is at the same time a solemn and joyful celebration of new life and revival of nature and the anticipated resurrection of the body when the world will be restored to its original and intended goodness - after the defeat of Ahriman (the spirit of evil and chaos) and his demons.   On the days of the important festivals, such as Norooz, the first day of vernal equinox, and on the day of Mehragan (the 16th day of the seventh month), the sacred fire was displayed to the faithful at night from some vantage point. The festival of Mithra, or Mehragan, was traditionally held in autumn. And Mehregan and Norooz used to be equally significant. Nowadays, the Norooz festival is celebrated in many countries including Afghanistan, Tajikestan, India, Irag, Pakistan, and Azarbaijan. During the pre-Islamic era, Norooz contained two parts; during the first five days, the kings and governors would receive common people to their majestic courts to probe their problems, and on the sixth day they would choose privacy with their own royal household. In 1046 A.C Jalaloddin Malakshah, a Saljuq king, decreed to the scholars and sages attending his royal court to work out a new chronological system in which, Norooz, or the first day of the spring was to be considered the first day of the year. In order to create it, however, they decided to add a day to every four other years so that the fourth year included 366 days (a leap year). Thus, the Jalai calendar is the nearest one to the actual solar travel of the Earth, which is in 365 days, hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds.   According to Persian legends, Norooz is the first day of Creation. In mid-March - a week before the start of the new year - people begin to clean their houses by washing carpets and rugs, painting the walls, and dusting off all their belongings: They call this Khaneh - takani in Farsi. Honoring the spring's arrival - season of happiness and cheerful days - some wheat or other grains are grown: To do this, the grains are soaked in water, and then are spread on a plate to germinate. The crop is called 'sabzeh" which is thrown away on the 13th day. In the past, at the Eve of Norooz, some people used to strike an old earthenware pot on a wall and smash it in to pieces as a symbol of old days gone. One popular ceremony of the festival is setting a table called Haft-sin in which seven things are placed that begin with letter "s" in Farsi like sekkeh (coin), somagh (sumac), senjid (oleaster), serkeh (vinegar), sib(apple), etc.