Persian New Year, Nowruz 2013 – 1392

Sufi Followers in Kosovo Celebrate Nowruz

admin — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 05:35:10 +0000

The ceremony is to celebrated Nowruz, the beginning of spring and the birth of Ali, one of the most revered figures in Shiite Islam

Sufi dervishes, followers of Islamic mysticism, are a small minority in secular Kosovo. Outsiders are rarely allowed to witness or film their hours-long ritual dances and prayers. The ritual involves piercing the flesh and dancing to the rhythm of the drums to test their devotion.

Nowruz celebrations in Turkey and Georgia

admin — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 04:50:23 +0000

Hundreds of thousands celebrated the Iranian New year in Turkey’s largely Kurdish city of Diyabikar. This ancestral festival, which has been observed for more than 3,000 years, marks the Iranian New Year and is primarily celebrated by Iranic peoples in Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Iraqi Kurdistan and Turkey.

This year’s Nowruz festivities coincided with an historic call for a ceasefire from Abdullah Ocalan, leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. Ocalan’s message was read by a member of the Peace and Democracy Party, which is considered to be very close politically to the PKK.

Nowruz celebrations last around 15 days and begin on the 21st of March, which has been officially named by the United Nations General Assembly as an International holiday.

According to the UN website, Nowruz is a holiday which promotes the values of peace and solidarity between generations. and within families. It also encourages reconciliation and neighborliness, thus contributing to cultural diversity and friendship among different peoples and communities.

Nowruz celebrations have been taking place throughout Turkey since March 17th. Celebrations were also held here in Istanbul as well as Adana and Mersin. The symbolic Nowruz fire is also expected to be lit in 45 different locations throughout Turkey.

Source: PressTV

Photos: The best of Nowruz 1392

admin — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 21:27:01 +0000

The festival of Nowruz is celebrated by many groups of people in the Middle East, Central and South Asia, but particularly by Persians or various Iranian Peoples. It is called Navroz in India, Nevruz in Turkic, Uyghurs who live in Northwestern China call it “Noruz”, and it is called Sultan Nevruz in Albanian. In Kurdish communities located in parts of western Iran, the holiday is referred to as Newroz, which is a variety of the Persian word Nowruz. The variety Nawroz is also a an Eastern Persian word and is also used in the Persian speaking regions of Central Asia. In Pashto language it is pronounced as نوورځ – “Naw Wraz” (New Day).

Nowruz Simply Explained

admin — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 21:07:28 +0000

San Francisco – Art People Gallery’s Persian New Year Celebration

admin — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 20:46:58 +0000

Saturday March 30, 2013
Crocker Galleria, SF 4-9pm

Please join us at Art People Gallery to celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, and an exhibit of Persian art. The 30 winners of our SNAC Iran 2012 competition will show their works at Art People.

RSVP at info@artpeople

The show runs from March 16 to Apr 6 at the Artpeople Gallery San Francisco.
Phone   415-956-3650
Contact name   Ali Meamar
Contact email   info@artpeople.net
http://www.artpeople.net

Southern California: Sizdeh Bedar 2013 at Lake Balboa

admin — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 20:23:13 +0000

Sunday, March 31, 2013
Lake Balboa 8am – 7pm

We are excited to announce that on March 31, 2013, Time TV will be having this years “Sizdeh Bedar Festival” at Lake Balboa. This will be a great venue for us all. We would love to have you there with us as well. We are expecting 20,000– 25,000 visitors from Valley, Santa Monica, West Wood and Los Angeles.

For more information: Call Time TV (818) 407-7770 or Email: Simin@TimeTV.co
http://www.timetv.co/persian-festival

Haloo – I’ll never vote

admin — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 18:20:19 +0000

Mohammad Reza Ali Payam – also known as Haloo – is an Iranian poet and satirist. He is currently a political prisoner of the Iranian government. He has spoken extensively though the medium of satire and poetry against injustice and corruption. In 2012 he published a new poem about the Evin Prison where was being held.

Spain – Nowruz Festival Persian-Flemish-Kurdish Music & Dance

admin — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 17:14:25 +0000

Saturday March 23, 2013
Auditorio de Colegio Calasancio – Madrid

This year we celebrated in style – Persian, Kurdish and Flemish Dance and Music. Persian and Spanish “Isfahan-Granada Ensemble”, Kurdish musicians and dancers “Sham Ensemble” and “Kurdish Dance Group” will delight us.

The Cast of “Isfahan-Granada Ensemble”:

Hamid Jabazi (tar)
Kaveh Sarvarian (Ney, Tombak)
David Coll (guitar)
Joaquin Sanchez (clarinet)
José Manuel Avarez (dancer)

The Cast of “Sham Ensemble”:

Aram Mahmood Hussein (singer)
Abdulqadir Arkan Mohammad (singer)
Salih Azhin Jaafar (Daf)
Mohammad Mehdi Talebani (Tombak)
Najmalddin Khalid Rasul (Sitar)
Biswa Mohammad Rajab (Santur)
Arif Qasim Nader (Ud)
Bakir Shano Faraj (Ud)
Tablo Omed Mohammad (singer)
Tango Azad Hama Salih (Kamanche)
Karwan Mahmood Ahmad (Nay)
Dekan Mahmood Ahmad (Daf)

Anticipada: 12 € Taquilla: 15 € Estudiantes & Jubilados: 10 €

http://www.centropersepolis.com/noruz-fiesta-milenaria-del-ano-nuevo-persa-kurda/

Photos: Colored Egg Festival at Tehran’s Water-Fire Park

admin — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 08:24:02 +0000

Painted Eggs – symbolizing Humans and Fertility – is one of the Nowruz seven “Haft Chin” items which still decorate today’s “Haft Sin” tables – a major traditional table setting of Nowruz.

The “Haft Chin” items are:

Mirror – symbolizing Sky
Apple – symbolizing Earth
Candles – symbolizing Fire
Golab – rose water symbolizing Water
Sabzeh – wheat, or barley sprouts symbolizing Plants
Goldfish – symbolizing Animals
Painted Eggs – symbolizing Humans and Fertility

The Haft Sin items are:

sabzeh – wheat, barley or lentil sprouts growing in a dish – symbolizing rebirth
samanu – a sweet pudding made from wheat germ – symbolizing affluence
senjed – the dried fruit of the oleaster tree – symbolizing love
sir – garlic – symbolizing medicine
sib – apples – symbolizing beauty and health
somaq – sumac berries – symbolizing (the color of) sunrise
serkeh – vinegar – symbolizing age and patience.

New York – Persian Arts Festival Celebrate Norooz 2013

admin — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 07:49:23 +0000

Saturday March 30, 2013
Le Poisson Rouge

NYC’s Persian Arts Festival, Inc. (PAF), an organization devoted to providing a platform for Persian artists and visionaries, joins forces with Le Poisson Rouge and other Persian cultural organizations to present a New Year extravaganza featuring Persian fusion from three of the city’s top-tiered bands.

The evening will be full of musical surprise and delight, featuring rare Persian grooves by DJ Payam, Rana Farhan’s unique blend of classic Persian poetry with contemporary jazz and blues, Vatan’s Persian-meets-country-rock sounds and a blast into the past with Mitra Sumara’s super group of New York City musicians that pay homage to the vibrant pop and funk music of 60s/70s Iran. This year’s event is sponsored by the American Institute of Iranian Studies (AIIrS – www.simorgh-aiis.org), Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA – www.paaia.org) and Iranian Alliances Across Borders (IAAB – http://www.iranianalliances.org/).

Tickets

http://persianartsfestival.org/

http://vatan.bandcamp.com/track/niloufar