"Reviving old Desires:" Saadi and Omar Khayyam on Celebrating the New Year

"Reviving old Desires:" Saadi and Omar Khayyam on Celebrating the New Year

Revised. [Thanks to all our loyal and generous supporters for making our annual fundraiser a success! There is a lot of work to do, in both in informing the public and fighting disinformation, in 2026, and you have given us a sound basis to pursue it! Excelsior!] New Year is a favorite subject in classical Persian poetry, though the Iranians celebrate it at the spring solstice, usually March 21, rather than just after the winter solstice. This d…