Nowruz, the Persian New Year, began on Thursday, kicking off a celebration of life, renewal and rebirth that people in Iran and beyond have been observing for many generations.

       More than 300 million people worldwide celebrate Nowruz, which means “new day” in Persian. Many of them greet one another by saying “Nowruzetan pirooz” or “Wishing you a victorious Nowruz!”

       The holiday, which is tied to the spring equinox, traces its roots to the Persian Empire. People in the Balkans, the Black Sea basin, the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Middle East have celebrated it for more than 3,000 years.

       There’s a buildup to Nowruz, said Alireza Hedayati, president of the Iranian American Society of New York, a nonprofit organization based on Long Island.

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       Things start to heat up “as soon as it starts to warm up a little bit in late February and the beginning of March,” Mr. Hedayati said. “Everyone just gets that little bit of an excitement and the urge to do things.”

       Here’s what to know about one of world’s oldest holidays:

       Holiday Customs In the lead-up to the new year, Nowruz celebrants thoroughly clean their homes. Mr. Hedayati likened it to spring cleaning.

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