Srinagar, Mar 21: Navroz- the first day in the Persian New Year- was celebrated with fervour in the Valley on Thursday.

The celebrations were, however, a low key affair as the festival coincided with fasting month of Ramazan.

Navroz, which literally means a ‘new day’, is the beginning of the New Year of the Persian calendar.

The day is also marked by plantation activities and holding of special prayers by the Shia community.

According to local traditions, farmers believe that a seed sown on Navroz blooms into a healthy plant.

On this occasion a variety of special dishes particularly ‘Nadroo’ lotus root is cooked in Shia families and ‘Eidi’ is also distributed among the children.

Like every year, on Navroz, many people lined outside the leech therapy centres on outskirts of Srinagar for their turn to apply therapy to get rid of their long-term ailments.

UNI