The “Nowruzbal” festival, a ritual marking the start of the New Year in the Deylami and Gilaki calendars, is held every year from 15 to 17 Mordad in the highlands of Gilan, Deylam, and Amlash.

In this ceremony, people dress in local clothing, set up a large fire at sunset, and welcome the New Year with instruments, songs, dancing, and reciting traditional poems.

“Nowruzbal” is made from the combination of “Nowruz,” meaning the beginning of the year, and “bal,” meaning a fire flame. Some accounts trace the origins of this festival to the story of Fereydun and Zahhak, while others link it to the end of the harvest season and the time for paying tribute.