Iranians taunt rulers, celebrate non-Islamic culture on Nowruz

Iranians gathered at major historical sites across the country to celebrate the New Year with patriotic chants calling for the return of the pre-Islamic Revolution monarchy.

At Persepolis, the ancient ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire in Fars province, large crowds counted down to the arrival of spring, undeterred by state efforts to downplay the celebration in favor of religious mourning.

At several locations people chanted the name of Reza Shah, the founder of the Pahlavi Dynasty, who began modernizing Iran a century ago.

Authorities had promoted religious programming tied to the anniversary of Imam Ali’s killing, which coincided with Nowruz this year, but videos circulating online showed Iranians defying the official narrative.

In Shiraz, at the tomb of the 14th-century poet Hafez, a large crowd sang Ey Iran, a patriotic anthem often associated with opposition to the current leadership.

Even in Khorasan Razavi province, home to the Shiite shrine city of Mashhad where Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s representative Ahmad Alamolhoda has banned concerts and other cultural events, people gathered at the tomb of Ferdowsi. The 10th-century poet is known for his epic Shahnameh, which extols Iran’s pre-Islamic history.

Chants of “Reza Shah, rest in peace” and “Shah, come home” were heard in Tous, 30 kilometers from Mashhad, where Ferdowsi’s tomb stands.

Demonstrators invoked the name of exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi and compared Khamenei to Zahhak, the mythical tyrant from the epic of Shahnameh whose reign was marked by oppression and corruption.

The anger directed at Khamenei was also fueled by Iran’s worsening economic conditions. According to the Iranian Statistics Center, inflation surged by 4.1% in February 2025, the highest monthly rate in two years. The US dollar reached 1,000,000 rials just days before Nowruz, reflecting deep economic instability.

Khamenei, in his annual address, did not extend Nowruz greetings and instead focused on Ramadan’s Nights of Qadr, calling the economy the year's main issue.

The confluence of Nowruz and Ramadan has heightened tensions, with authorities emphasizing religious adherence.

In the wake of the 2022 uprising, New Year celebrations been turned into an ever growing display of defiance, and in some cases, open protests against the government.

On Tuesday, protests broke out in cities such as Tehran, Karaj, Mashhad and Isfahan, with young Iranians setting fire to images of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

While the government attempted to impose a somber tone on the holiday, the scenes across Iran highlighted a growing divide between state ideology and public sentiment.