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Season greeted in Persian rite: Iranian community marks arrival of spring at UC Davis(Sacramento Bee, The (CA) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Mar. 6--The dismal downpour might have been a reminder that spring is still weeks away, but the season's impending arrival nonetheless was cause for celebration at UC Davis on Sunday. Several hundred Iranian immigrants and their American-born descendants gathered in Freeborn Hall to ring in the Persian new year, a jubilant celebration many hoped would sharply contrast with the recent negative media coverage of their home country. Celebrated each year on March 20 - the first day of spring - "Nowrouz" or "Norooz" highlights nature's rebirth, often symbolized by warm sunshine and blooming flowers. "You see nature celebrating itself, why shouldn't we do it?" asked alumnus Shahin Monfared, 26, of Sacramento. Monfared moved to the United States in 1996 and says that each year the coming of spring brings back warm memories of the two-week Nowrouz celebration that unfolds in Iran. He likened it to the anticipation leading up to Christmas in this country: People clean their homes, shop for gifts and embrace family. It is a beloved tradition Monfared does not want to see die in Sacramento's Persian community. "If people like me don't carry it on, it's going to go down," he said. "People won't remember it any more." Sunday's Nowrouz celebration was hosted by UC Davis' Iranian Student Cultural and Aesthetic Organization, a non-political and non-religious student group. Members said the event, in its ninth year on campus, is meant to promote unity and tradition within the local Persian community. It also serves to educate the greater Sacramento community about Iran's rich cultural heritage. "Obviously, we're foreigners in this country," said alumnus Ninus Adams, also an immigrant. "The best way to stamp out ignorance is to educate people." Several organizers said the event's educational mission held special significance this year, as local Iranians struggle with perceptions fueled by escalating media attention given to their homeland. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appears to be a religious hard-liner with a dangerous agenda, which includes expanding Iran's nuclear capability. "It's so hard right now," said 27-year-old Sharareh Derakhshandeh, a founding member of ISCAO. "Right now, in the last two months, I've felt more tension than I did after Sept. 11." But participants emphasized that, like the United States, Iran is a melting pot of cultures, religions and traditions. They hoped Sunday's event would highlight what they consider the beauty and depth of that melting pot. "We're not a government," said doctoral student Sheila Eghbali. "We're a people, and we have a culture." The Nowrouz celebration typically draws many ISCAO members and their families, organizers said. But it also draws American-born Persian youth who might be losing some of their culture to assimilation, and curious community members, they say. Monfared said he is encouraged by the interest he sees each year from non-Iranians. He embraces the Nowrouz event as a way to not just celebrate culture, but bring all people together for a happy occasion. "Peoples' lives are becoming more and more mechanical every year. We need more of these celebrations to remind us that life is too short," he said. "Any excuse we can find to get to know our friends ... we definitely should do it." ------------ PERSIAN NEW YEAR AT A GLANCE -- The arrival of the spring equinox, March 20, ushers in Nowrouz, the Persian new year, marked by the equilibrium of day and night. -- The holiday is the most revered celebration in the greater Persian world. The Persian Empire included the current-day countries of Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan and Turkey and portions of western China and northern Iraq. -- The Persian new year has been celebrated for at least 3,000 years. Its origins stretch to Zoro-astrianism, one of the world's oldest religions. Source: nationalgeographic.com |