Chapter NOL-KOLE to NUDDEEA RIVERS of N by The Hobson Jobson Dictionary

NOWROZE, s. Pers. nau-roz, ‘New (Year’s) Day’ ; i.e. the first day of the Solar Year. In W. India this is observed by the Parsees. [For instances of such celebrations at the vernal equinox, see Frazer, Pausanias, iv. 75.]

c. 1590.—“This was also the cause why the Naurúz i Jaláli was observed, on which day, since his Majesty’s accession, a great feast was given.…The New Year’s Day feast…commences on the day when the Sun in his splendour moves to Aries, and lasts till the 19th day of the month (Farwardin).”—Ain, ed. Blochmann, i. 183, 276.

[1614.—“Their Noroose, which is an annual feast of 20 days continuance kept by the Moors with great solemnity.”—Foster, Letters, iii. 65.

[1615.—“The King and Prince went a hunting…that his house might be fitted against the Norose, which began the first Newe Moon in March.”—Sir T. Roe, Hak. Soc. i. 138 ; also see 142.]

1638.—“There are two Festivals which are celebrated in this place with extraordinary ceremonies ; one whereof is that of the first day of the year, which, with the Persians, they call Naurus, Nauros, or Norose, which signifies nine dayes, though now it lasts eighteen at least, and it falls at the moment that the Sun enters Aries.”—Mandelslo, 41.

1673.—“On the day of the Vernal Equinox, we returned to Gombroon, when the Moores introduced their New-Year Æde (see EED) or Noe Rose, with Banqueting and great Solemnity.”—Fryer, 306

1712.—“Restat Nauruus, i.e. vertentis anni initium, incidens in diem aequinoctii verni. Non legalis est, sed ab antiquis Persis haereditate accepta festivitas, omnium caeterarum maxima et solennissima.”—Kaempfer, Am. Exot. 162.

1815.—“Jemsheed also introduced the solar year ; and ordered the first day of it, when the sun entered Aries, to be celebrated by a splendid festival. It is called Nauroze, or new year’s day, and is still the great festival in Persia.”—Malcolm, H. of Persia, i. 17.

1832.—“Now-roz (new year’s day) is a festival or eed of no mean importance in the estimation of Mussulman society.…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 now-roz.”—Mrs. Meer Hassan Ali, Obsns. on the Mussulmans of India, 283–4.

NOWSHADDER, s. Pers. naushadar (Skt. narasara, but recent), Salammoniac, i.e. chloride of ammonium.

c. 1300.—We find this word in a medieval list of articles of trade contained in Capmany’s Memorias de Barcelona (ii. App. 74) under the form noxadre.

1343.—“Salarmoniaco, cioè lisciadro, e non si dà nè sacco ne cassa con essa.”—Pegolotti, p. 17 ; also see 57, &c.

[1834.—“Sal ammoniac (nouchadur) is found in its native state among the hills near Juzzak.”—Burnes, Travels into Bokhara, ii. 166.]

NUDDEEA RIVERS, n.p. See under HOOGLY RIVER, of which these are branches, intersecting the Nadiya District. In order to keep open navigation by the directest course from the Ganges to Calcutta, much labour is, or was, annually expended, under a special officer, in endeavouring during the dry season to maintain sufficient depth in these channels.