People fly kites during the ancient festival of Sizdeh Bedar, an annual public picnic day on the 13th and last day of the Iranian New Year.

Video. Iranians flock to parks to celebrate nature day

Residents of Tehran enjoyed the sunshine as they took to a local park to celebrate a national holiday known as Nature Day.

Residents of Tehran enjoyed the sunshine as they took to a local park to celebrate a national holiday known as Nature Day.

Families played ball games, barbecued, played cards and relaxed during the day, called Sizdeh Be-dar, a public picnic day in early April.

The day marks the end of Iranian New Year holidays, and falls on the thirteenth day of Nowruz.

The philosophy behind the festival is to avoid the bad luck associated with number 13 in some cultures by not staying indoors on this day.

The official Nowruz holidays fall 4 days after New Year Eve, but schools and many shops remain closed until the day after Sizdah Be-dar, which usually falls on April 1 or 2.

The nation will go back to normal life from April 3.

North Koreans enjoy hot springs at a resort in Yangdok, South Phyongan Province, some 120 kilometres from Pyongyang. 

The resort opened at the beginning of 2020, featuring indoor and outdoor spas and ski slopes.