Celebrations > Norooz > NOROOZ TAKES OVER MANHATTAN BY SARA SEPIDZADEH
All in Good Stride
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NEW YORK, February 28th, 2006 –
As the snow melts on the sidewalks of Manhattan, the city is slowly
getting ready for another major celebration. Persians from across the
world are coming together to throw the biggest party New York has ever
seen to mark the coming of spring.
“Norooz”,
which literally means “New Day” in Persian, is a holiday that is
celebrated around the world by Persians, Kurds, Turks, Afghans, Tajiks,
Parsis, and many other ethnic communities. The festivities typically
last 13 days after the exact moment of spring equinox, expected to
occur at 1:25:35 PM on Monday, March 20 th , 2006.
While
the official start of Norooz isn't until late March, some Persians use
this opportunity to start celebrating early. Preparations for spring
cleaning, and the setting of the Sofreh Haft Seen all start as early as
the first week of March.
This
year, New York will experience the biggest public celebration, the most
notable of which is planned for March 19 th , 2006. On this day, the
Persian Day Parade will start at 11 am on 46 th and Madison,
transforming 20 city blocks into a display for Persian color, costumes,
sounds and attractions. Following the parade, a brand new event called
the Persian Arts Festival is scheduled to take place at Makor on 67 th
between Columbus and Central Park West.
The
founders of the Persian Arts Festival, Mona Kayhan and Angela
Huffstutler, are two local New Yorkers, who are passionate about
Persian Art and culture and saw this as a good opportunity to showcase
the rich history and tradition that comes from Iran in the most
multicultural city in the world.
Starting
at 2 pm, the Persian Arts Festival is a day of festivities and
laughter. The schedule is packed through the evening with wonderful
programs, such as Stand-up comedy by Iranian-American Negin Farsad,
musical performances by Amir Vahab, and Iranian Rock Band 127. There
will be major works of art on display and the Makor Café will feature a
Persian-influenced menu for the occasion. “It's the perfect event
following the Persian Day Parade. Normally all these people would
gather from all over the world to celebrate this great day and have no
where to go after the parade. This year, they can just come a few
blocks north, and continue enjoying the riches of Persian culture,”
says Angela Huffstutler, Executive Director of the Persian Arts
Festival.
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The
day also includes Persian literature with poetry readings by Richard
Jeffrey Newman and book readings by Author Afschineh Latifi, also a
local New Yorker who has penned the book “Even After All This Time”.
Mona Kayhan, Executive Producer of the Persian Arts Festival, comments,
“Our space at Makor features four floors of Art and Entertainment. We
are so excited because people will truly get to celebrate and learn
about this wonderful culture in a warm and inviting setting.”
There
are many other enticing events planned for the day, including the
screening of some short films and the popular children's cartoon “Babak
& Friends – A First Norooz”. Families will have a Children's Play
Center filled with educational games, and fun activities for the
parents and children alike.
Norooz
not only marks the rejuvenation of the earth but it also allows people
to gather and share in their unique traditions. New York is the perfect
city for the occasion.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR |
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Sara Sepidzadeh is an artist and journalist from Chicago, Illinois.
With a BA in Fine Arts from the University of Chicago, Sara has always been involved in the arts and literature. When in college, she ran the advertising and marketing office of the school newspaper. She has since worked as a free lance journalist and writer for two newspapers in Tehran. More recently, she has been working at ABOUT, Chicago Magazine, and PerisanMirror.
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This article was contributed by SARA SEPIDZADEH, Guest Contributor for PersianMirror.
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