Cultural Values in My Community

My parents raised me to be proud of my roots and I feel a strong connection to the Persian community. I'm a second generation immigrant, born and raised in Northern California. My parents both grew up in Iran and met in the US. Although most of my family is back in Iran, I'm fortunate to still have many family members here in the Bay Area. I'm very close with my family and we enjoy spending time together. Believe it or not, a major part of the Persian culture is partying! Persians love hosting gatherings and catering to the people they love with delicious food, chai, sweets, and music. 

Persians celebrate their New Year on the Equinox of Spring, because it marks the beginning of Spring, which is the rejuvenation of nature. Norouz is two weeks of celebration and is a very special holiday for Persians because symbolism of our cultural values are interweaved into the celebrations. The first of the events is Chahar Shanbe Soori, which is the last Wednesday of the year where it's tradition to jump over bonfires, symbolizing burning of any negativity from the previous year and starting the new year fresh. 

Norouz is all about starting fresh: it's the time to mend any broken relationships, buy new clothes, and do deep Spring cleaning around the house. Norouz is more important to me than any other holiday because it hasn't been commercialized to be about buying things and has been traditionally celebrated since ancient times. It unites the entire Persian community to celebrate something that carries significant meaning to all of us. The last day is known as Sizdah Be-dar, where you are supposed to be outside all day. My family usually attends a huge gathering at a park where we picnic and dance and enjoy the fresh Spring air.

I feel so fortunate to be a part of culture with such a meaningful tradition of celebrating the new year through symbolic festivities that connect the entire Persian community.