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’Nou-Roze’[25] (New Year’s Day) is a Festival of Eade of no mean importance in the estimation of Mussulmaun society.

The exact period of commencing the Mussulmaun new year is the very moment of the sun’s entering the sign Aries.  This is calculated by those practical astronomers, who are in the service of most great men in Native cities;—­I should tell you they have not the benefit of published almanacks as in England,—­and according to the hour of the day or night when the sun passes into that particular sign, so are they directed in the choice of a colour to be worn in their garments on this Eade:  if at midnight, the colour would be dark puce, almost a black; if at mid-day, the colour would be the brightest crimson.  Thus to the intermediate hours are given a shade of either colour applicable to the time of the night or the day when the sun enters the sign Aries; and whatever be the colour to suit the hour of Nou-Roze, all classes wear the day’s livery, from the King to the meanest subject in the city.  The King, on his throne, sits in state to receive congratulations and nuzzas from his nobles, courtiers and dependants.  ’Mabaarukh Nou-Roze!’[26] (May the New Year be fortunate!) are the terms of salutation exchanged by all classes of society, the King himself setting the example.  The day is devoted to amusements, a public breakfast at the palace, sending presents, exchanging visits, &c.

The trays of presents prepared by the ladies for their friends are tastefully set out, and the work of many days’ previous arrangement.  Eggs are boiled hard, some of these are stained in colours resembling our mottled papers; others are neatly painted in figures and devices; many are ornamented with gilding; every lady evincing her own peculiar taste in the prepared eggs for ‘Nou-Roze’.  All kinds of dried fruits and nuts, confectionary and cakes, are numbered amongst the necessary articles for this day’s offering:  they are set out in small earthen plates, lacquered over to resemble silver, on which is placed coloured paper, cut out in curious devices (an excellent substitute for vine leaves) laid on the plate to receive the several articles forming ‘Nou-Roze’ presents.

Amongst the young people these trays are looked forward to with child-like anxiety.  The ladies rival each other in their display of novelty and good taste, both in the eatables and the manner of setting them off with effect.

The religious community have prayers read in their family, and by them it is considered both a necessary duty and a propitious commencement to bring in the new year by ‘prayer and praises’.

When it is known that the Nou-Roze will occur by daylight, the ladies have a custom of watching for the moment the year shall commence by a fresh rose, which being plucked from the stalk is thrown into a basin of water, the eye downwards.  They say, this rose turns over of itself towards the sun at the very moment of that luminary passing into the sign Aries.  I have often found them thus engaged; but I never could say I witnessed the actual accomplishment of their prediction.