The past month showed a radical transformation in the way Iranians accessed data, with searches from mobile devices excelling for the second year in a row, partly due to the growth in smartphone usage, before and after the festive Norouz (Iranian New Year) holidays (started March 20).
Unsurprisingly, the Norouz search trend remained strong during March, with nearly all the top 10 rising search terms related to the period.
In first place, written in Persian, was "Tabrik Sal-e No" literally meaning Happy New Year in English. The leading search trend jumped 3,850%, meaning it is just short of a breakout search result, according to Google. The top region that searched this term was Ilam Province followed by Kermanshah.
In second spot was "Norouz" written in the Persian script. This result rose 400% in the 30-day period with searches peaking on March 20. As ever, the spread of inquiries remains broad in the country, with Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari leading the provinces.
The third ranking goes to "Haft Seen" meaning Seven S's, which refers to the traditional custom of placing seven items beginning with the Persian letter "S" on a table at the onset of the new Iranian year. This search term rose 180%, with Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari again leading the search queries.
In addition to those seven items, Iranians also place on the table many other things, including the Holy Qur'an, a fish bowl, painted eggs and a mirror.
In fourth position was "Sofreh Haft Seen", which refers to the table laid out to mark the Iranian New Year, marking a rise of 160%. Slightly interesting is that this search term jumped on March 19, suggesting people were rushing to buy the items on the Seven S's checklist. The leading region for this search term was Iran's central region of Kerman.
In a striking divergence, a non-related search term was "Ferial" in Persian. This feminine name may refer to a contestant on an international television show called Stage. Searches for this term peaked on March 12, with Hamedan and Gilan provinces coming in first and second respectively.
In seventh place was the search term "Moda" literally meaning "Mother" in English. This term increased 80% during the past month with the peak of searches occurring on March 29 in preparation for the Iranian Mothers Day on March 30.
Mother's Day in Iran is celebrated on the 20th day of the Islamic month of Jumadi Al-Thani. This marks the birth anniversary of Hazrat Fatemeh, the distinguished daughter of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Khuzestan Province led search results and was followed by southern Bushehr Province.
In eighth place was "Rang Moo" meaning "hair color" in English. Searches for this phrase jumped 60% in the past month with searches peaking on March 14. Iran's southern Bushehr Province led in the search term with Ilam coming in second. A possible reason that such an innocuous item maybe trending might be interest in preparing for visits during the holiday period.
In ninth place was "Download Arhang Jadid" written in Persian, meaning "Download New Music" rising 50% in searches during the month. One possible reason for the jump in number as the new Iranian year takes hold could be the release of new tracks by musicians and singers. As with most music-related searches, Mazandaran and Gilan are leading areas that download the most music.
In 10th place was "Havashenasi" written in Persian meaning "Weather Forecast", which jumped 50% during this period. It suggests that many people were using the local and international weather websites to prepare for trips to other cities for taking time out with families or visiting relatives.
