March 30, 2006

Persian New Year celebrates new life

2nd annual NoRouz Festival to be held
this weekend at Vasona Lake Park

By Lorraine Gabbert
Staff Writer

Signifying the end of the old and the beginning of the new, NoRouz, the Iranian New Year, celebrates the arrival of spring and the rebirth of nature. Coinciding with the vernal equinox, Iranians around the world gather together with family and friends to herald the end of winter’s chill and the start of spring’s warmth.

The NoRouz festival brings families, friends and the community together in celebration. (Photo courtesy of Talieh Shahrokhi)

In celebration of NoRouz, two days of festivities will fill Vasona Lake County Park with Iranian food, music and dance on Saturday, April 1 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, April 2, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

NoRouz festival founder and organizer, Mehran “Matt” Kamkar, sees this event as an opportunity for parents to share their Iranian cultural heritage with their children, as well as a unifying experience for the community at large.

“We want to have a fun-filled event,” he says, “so the younger generation will remember it and look forward to it for years to come.” It is Kamkar’s hope that this annual festival will bring the Iranian community together by emphasizing areas of common interest, rather than their differences, as well as display their gracious nature to others.

As Northern California is home to the second largest population of Iranian-Americans in the United States, with San Jose and Almaden representing a lion’s share of this population, Kamkar is sensitive to society’s perception of their culture. “This group longs for the good times, when relations between the USA (their father country) and Iran (their mother country) are friendly again,” he says. “They understand that with the current regime in Iran, that may be very difficult, if not impossible. But nevertheless, they look for the day when both sides are allies again and peace flourishes in that region.”

The history of NoRouz
NoRouz, which means “New Day,” is the most cherished of all the Iranian festivals and with its roots in the Zoroastrianism, has been celebrated for at least 3,000 years.

According to tradition, NoRouz was established by King Jamshid of Persia, who crowned himself on the first day of spring, calling it a new or first day. Today, Iranians, regardless of their ethnic or religious background, celebrate the festival in a multitude of countries including Persia (Iran), Iraq, Afghanistan, India, Turkey, and the United States of America.

“For Iranians living outside Iran, these rituals become even more significant,” says festival volunteer Nilou Nouri, “because they represent the richness of our heritage. It’s about forming a sense of community identity, keeping rituals alive and feeling a history and culture together.” 

Iranian New Year festivities fall into three phases, with the first, Chahar Shanbe Soori (the festival of fire), celebrating the last Wednesday of winter and light (goodness) dominating darkness. Traditionally, Iranians make large bonfires and jump over them singing, “Fire, take away my yellowness (paleness/sickness) and give me your redness (warmth/health).”

Nouri and her family join friends in keeping this tradition alive in the Bay Area by jumping over small fires set in aluminum foil containers. “I’m glad to have the opportunity for my children to learn this beautiful ritual,” she says, “and I, being a superstitious person, appreciate the chance to give fire my yellowness and take its redness!” They also share in delicacies like pastries and nuts, known as Ajile Moshkel Gosha (the problem-solving nuts), as a way of giving thanks for the previous year’s health and happiness and exchanging any remaining paleness for the warmth and vibrancy of the fire.

Traditional dances, music and costume add Iranian flair to the NoRouz festival. (Photo courtesy of Talieh Shahrokhi)

As according to custom, on the last days of the year, the living are visited by the spirits of their ancestors, children symbolically dress in sheets, bang pots and pans with spoons, and go door-to-door collecting treats from neighbors. This ritual, known as Qashogh-zany (spoon beating), symbolizes beating out the last unlucky Wednesday of the year.

The second phase of the Iranian New Year festivities is the day and hour marking the beginning of the New Year, which follows the solar calendar. This year, NoRouz fell on Monday, March 20 at 09:55.35 p.m. Tehran time and 10:25:35 a.m. Pacific time. 

With the arrival of the New Year, Iranians shake off past mistakes and start anew. “People try to put away negative things,” says Nouri, “and bring out more positive aspects like being peaceful, respectful and humble.”

They also represent newness by purchasing new clothing and thoroughly cleaning their homes. Tables are graced with a special sofreh (table cloth) with Haft Seen (seven items beginning with the letter “S” in Persian), such as seeb (apples), seer (garlic), samanou (wheat paste), senjed (fruit), sabzeh (grass grown from wheat or lentils) and a sonbol (hyacinth plant). These items relate to the seven creations and the seven holy immortals protecting them.

In addition to cultural foods, Iranians place symbolic objects on their tables such as candelabra and a mirror, a goldfish bowl, colored eggs, gold coins, fruit, a holy book and a book of poetry by the great Persian poet Hafez. Each of these items has its own significance; the candles represent light; the goldfish, life; eggs, fertility; coins, wealth; apples, beauty; and a holy book divinity. 

As the clock strikes the hour of the New Year, says Nouri, everyone stands before the table wearing their new clothing and exchanges greetings, hugs and kisses, good wishes and gifts. “Since we live far from most of our relatives, the phone lines are busy for hours and sometimes days after the New Year,” she says, “with people calling back and forth to exchange New Year’s greetings.”  After the New Year, people visit one another, traditionally with the young paying their respects at the homes of their elders, and receiving blessings and monetary gifts in exchange.

The third and final phase of the celebration takes place on Sizdeh Bedar, the 13th day after the New Year. During this time, Iranians commune with nature to ward off bad luck associated with the number 13. This connotation is derived from the ancient Persian belief that the 12 constellations of the Zodiac controlled the months of the year, each ruling the earth for 1,000 years, followed by a time when the sky and earth collapsed into chaos.

As NoRouz draws to a close, the sabzeh (wheat, barley or lentil sprouts) from the Haft Seen are thrown into running water, removing bad luck from the household. Young women who wish to be married also tie leaves of the sabzeh together before discarding it.

A fun-filled celebration
For the past 23 years, Iranians have informally celebrated Sizdah-Bedar at Vasona Lake County Park. In 2005, the city and county approached Kamkar, requesting that the Iranian community help to bear costs associated with this gathering, which include additional security, park repair and restoration, and parking.

Kamkar was glad to help, and believed that the Iranian community was in a good position to assist with funding. Under his guidance, the NoRouz Festival, which is currently in its third year at this location, has expanded to include live entertainment, traditional food from local vendors, cultural booths, a teen pavilion and children’s activities.

On Saturday, festivities will begin at Vasona Park with a procession of children at 11:15am. Next, students from the Dehkhoda Farsi School will sing their rendition of “Ey Iran.” Entertainment will continue throughout the day, featuring dancers from the Beshkan and Niosha Dance Academies and live concerts with Tara and Rushid.

On Sunday, April 2, similar festivities will take place, beginning with the children’s parade at 10:50 a.m. Live concerts will feature Persian Idol Jamal Vafaie and Shahram Shabpareh.

In addition to food and music, display booths will feature local businesses and community organizations. Other activities will include a backgammon tournament, volleyball matches, soccer skills competition, cultural exhibits and children’s booths.

Last year, about 15,000 people attended the festival—the largest gathering of the Iranian American community in the Bay Area to date—while about 18,000 to 20,000 visitors are expected this year.

Dancers from the Beshkan and Niosha Dance Academies will take the stage during the two-day NoRouz festival. (Photo courtesy of Talieh Shahrokhi)

Free parking is available outside the park, in addition to a free shuttle bus. General parking is available for $5 inside the park off of Blossom Hill Road. Premium parking is available for $20 near the venues from the
University Avenue entrance.

Revenue raised by the festival will contribute to the creation of an Iranian-American Community Center in north San Jose, which Kamkar would like to see fully funded by the Iranian-American community. “Ask not what the country can do for you, but what you can do for your country,” he says, quoting John F. Kennedy. “We have to set an example of how we can be good citizens and help our government which is already short-funded.”

Plans for the 20-acre community center include a museum, library, senior resource center, day care and clinic, as well as retail, professional and residential spaces. It will also boast a gym, theater, over 40 meeting and conference rooms, dance and exhibition hall, soccer field, and basketball and tennis courts.

Supporters of the NoRouz Festival include the Iranian-American Voter Association (baivoter), the Iranian American chamber of Commerce (IACC), and the Society of Iranian Professionals (SIP). 

“This event is very important to the Iranian-American community of the Bay Area,” says Kamkar, “and exposes our children to our rich culture and heritage, and the joyous celebrations of our land.”

For more information, contact Mehran (Matt) Kamkar at: (408) 999-0211 or mkamkar@cccengineers.com and visit the festival Web site at: www.NoRouzfestival.org for the latest updates.