March 25, 2004

“Aid e shoma mobarak”

First annual Norooz Festival filled with everything new

By Kymberli W. Brady
Staff Writer

In a true cultural gathering at the Mexican Heritage Plaza, members of the Iranian community ushered in the first day of spring in true NoRooz style, donning bright, new clothing and celebrating a centuries-old tradition of music, dancing and authentic Iranian food.

It is also a time, according to tradition, where all grudges and bad thoughts are tossed aside and everyone starts anew, celebrating a new beginning and a new way of doing things in peace and harmony.

Second only to Los Angeles in overall national numbers, San Jose has become home to an immense Iranian population, with a significant concentration living in Almaden. The goal of the event was to raise funds to go toward the future development of an Iranian cultural community center to further unite the growing community.

“Everybody loves the idea of having such a place like this,” exclaimed Noisha Nafei-Jamali of Niosha Dance Academy and the Persian Center. “Hopefully we'll get to the point where we will have an Iranian community center or plaza where we can hold all our events. It's great to bring the community together.”

“We didn't get as many people as we thought we'd get and maybe we set our goals too high with the first event,” admitted Kamkar. “We didn't make any money. However, I think supporters will close the gap so we don't lose any either. This was way too successful to stop with the first one.”

“The whole idea was working together as a team and it's been wonderful,” said Program Manager and Executive Director of Baivoter Niloufar Noun.

Kamkar said the lower than anticipated turnout fell during a time traditionally reserved for the young to visit the homes of their elders. “If the New Year had not fallen on the weekend, it would have been better. In keeping with tradition and culture, they didn't have much time to attend an event like this.”

Weekend or not, more than 1,200 people attended the festivities on Saturday, followed by an additional 1,800 on Sunday. Councilmembers Nora Compos, Chuck Reed, Cindy Chavez and Forrest Williams made special appearances, along with Vice Mayor Pat Dando and District 10 City Council candidate Rich De La Rosa. Representatives from San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Zoe Lofgren's offices also attended the festivities.

“It's a day to not only share their culture with people like myself who don't know about it, but also to remind their children of their roots,” explained Dando, who presented the Iranian American Chamber of Commerce [IACC] with a proclamation on Sunday. She was then given an embedded gold nugget, inscribed with ancient nail writing, which represented the power of the army to protect the people of Babylon—a symbol of the first declaration of human rights, where people should come together, live together, worship in their own way, and live in harmony and peace. “There's much that we can learn from the Iranian community in this first principle of human rights,” she said.

The group was also presented with a proclamation from 14 th District Representative Anna Bshoo's office, commemorating the celebration.

Put on in part by the IACC, the Persian Center, Society of Iranian Professionals, Bay Area Iranian-American Voters Association, and National Iranian American Council [NIAC], the festival not only provided insights into a rich cultural tradition, it also served as a venue to encourage Iranian-Americans to vote, something Kamkar claims is an important step in controlling their destiny. “It's difficult to explain to them that here, their vote counts,” he said. “It wasn't like that in our history and we didn't get much practice in voting.”

“I've been told that Iranians are among the most successful immigrants in this country,” says Niloufar Nouri with the Bay Area Iranian American Voter Association. “They are very well educated and quite affluent, but they don't participate in politics. Because of that, we don't have a voice.”

An estimated 60 new voters registered at the festival, encouraging numbers according to Nouri. “We've never had this many for a two day event,” she said.

“From Algebra to medicine to poetry, the Iranian community has brought wonderful things to this world,” added Dando. “They have such a great, untapped power within their community and I encourage them to get involved in government and exercise their right as Iranian-Americans to vote.”

According to Kamkar, the festival will continue to grow in the coming years. “We had so many plusses, that nobody's complaining.”

“I've been to a lot of events at the Mexican Heritage Plaza and it's great to see another ethnic group involve themselves here,” commented Rich De La Rosa. “It was not just made for Hispanics, but for all the people of San Jose. It's great to see another group that's as important to San Jose as the Iranian group come here and take advantage of it.”

“The beauty of festivals like this is number one, that we all live in America,” noted Dando. “But it's equally important that we remind our children where we have come from, and if we can hold on to our cultural roots, it will make us a much better city in general.”