Bay Area TV Coverage of the 2nd Annual NoRouz Festival
Fox Affiliate KTVU
NBC Channel 11

5th ANNUAL NOROUZ (PERSIAN/IRANIAN NEW YEAR) FESTIVAL

WHAT: Iranian/Persian New Year Spring Festival

The Iranian/Persian New Year, Norouz (No-Rooz), is the first day of spring, marking the turn of a new season and an opportunity to look forward to a new beginning. This two-week long celebration is one of the most important among people of Iranian/Persian decent all over the world, regardless of their religious backgrounds. Iranian-Americans, as well as their friends and families and the entire surrounding communities will participate in a collaborative effort between Bay Area Iranian- American organizations, vendors and artists.

In 2007, this event gathered over 22,000 attendants, making it the largest gathering of Iranian- Americans in the Bay area to date! Festivities include ethnic dances, a DJ and live music, soccer skills competition, volleyball matches and backgammon tournaments. Other free activities also include cultural exhibitions, face painting, balloon artists and more. A variety of Persian food and delicacies will be available for attendees.

WHEN: April 5th and 6th, 2008 from 10am-7pm

WHERE: Vasona Lake County Park of Los Gatos; parking and free shuttle transportation is also available.

WHY: All members of the community should attend the event to support this cause, to learn more about this Iranian/Persian tradition and to enjoy the festivities. The Iranian-American community welcomes the entire Bay Area to share this rich culture, and also to educate all community members against negative Middle Eastern stereotypes while promoting a positive image of solidarity.

The mission of this event is to raise funds towards building a huge Iranian-American Community Center, to serve those living in the Peninsula and the South Bay areas. It will have a full gym, a 1,000 seat theater, over 40 meeting and conference rooms, a 500-seat dance and exhibition hall, a soccer field, basketball and tennis courts, lots of parking spaces and easy access to and from the major freeways as well as mass transit (bus and light rail). It will of course be open to everyone..

For more information, please visit – www.norouzfestival.org

Media Contacts: To coordinate media interviews or attend the event, please contact:

Mehran Kamkar, Organizer: (408) 999-0211 mkamkar@cccengineers.com

Maral Behnam - Counsel / Communications Director (209) 814-8120 maral84@sbcglobal.net

Thank you in advance for your consideration!

Spelling of NoRouz

By Bruce Bahmani

We have chosen to use the spelling of NoRouz which we feel is the most correct phonetic way to spell the word in English.

Dr. Yarshater of the Encyclopaedia Iranica project has chosen the spelling as "Now Ruz". Unfortunately this spelling is not as successful in enabling the non-Iranian English speaker to pronounce the holiday correctly with any proven consistency.

Our goal is one of outreach and to provide an open welcome and education to non-Iranian English speakers about our holiday. This begins with correct pronunciation, and we feel that it is important to use the correct English phonetic spelling to achieve this result.A spelling must be chosen that would be most likely to result in an English speaker correctly pronouncing the name of our most important holiday, without any help.

Based on our own survey, 98% of those asked to pronounce the word did it correctly on NoRouz, less than 4% pronounced it correctly on NowRuz. Therefore the spelling that resulted in the most correct pronunciation is NoRouz.

The proper pronunciation of NoRouz is two-fold;

No as in Go

Rouz as in Muse, Use, Choose

About NoRouz and it's Traditions

In harmony with the rebirth of nature, the Persian New Year celebration, NoRouz, always begins on the first day of spring. This celebration and its rituals go back to at least four thousand years ago. NoRouz means the "New Day", and refers to a new beginning, a new year. The year changes at the Vernal Equinox which occurs at a different time and day each year, on March 19, 20, 21 or 22. Its arrival is the precise moment the sun crosses the Equator. Amou (Uncle) NoRooz (similar to Santa Claus) kicks out winter cold and brings new life and warmth to every household.

The last Tuesday night of the year is spent jumping over bonfires in the hope that any bad spirits that may try to follow you into the new year will fall into the fire, freeing you from their evil! This is similar to halloween. The 13th day after the new year is also celebrated, with a day-long picnic, to ward off the unlucky number 13 by spending the day out of doors. The months in the Persian calendar correspond to those seen in common astrology charts or the horoscope.

Make sure you are smiling and wearing something new at that moment because that is how you will be for the rest of the new year! To this day, a few weeks before the new year, Persians thoroughly clean and rearrange their homes. They wear new clothes, bake pastries and germinate grainseed as signs of renewal. The ceremonial place setting known as Haft-Seen is set up in each household.

Haft-Seen or The Table of Seven S's is a ritual table setting or decoration that Persians prepare and sit around. "Haft" is the number seven in Persian, and "Seen" is the letter S in the Persian alphabet. The decoration is made up of seven things whose names start with the letter "Seen" and must be present on any Haft-Seen table. The following is a list of "Haft-Seen" items and a brief description of their symbolic meaning or cultural significance.

  • Sabzeh (sprouts, usually lentil or wheat): Representing fertility and the rebirth of nature. In ancient times, a sample of the grain to be planted in the spring was used as a test of how high the harvest would be that year.
  • Seeb (apple): Represents natural beauty.
  • Samanu (a pudding in which common wheat is transformed and given new life as a sweet, creamy pudding): Represents the reward of patience.
  • Somaq (sumac berry used as spice): Represents the color of sunrise; with the appearance of the sun Good conquers Evil.
  • Senjed (a sweet, dry fruit of the Lotus tree): Represents love and romance. It has been said that when a lotus tree is in full bloom, its fragrance and its fruit make people fall in love and become oblivious to all else!
  • Seer (garlic): Represents health.
  • Serkeh (vinegar): Represents age. In pre-islamic Iran, this item used to be wine.

Other items that you may see on Haft-Seen table:

  • A mirror, which represents the images and reflections of Creation that by Persian beliefs took place on the first day of Spring. On either side of the mirror are two candlesticks holding a flickering candle for each child in the family. The candles represent enlightenment and happiness.
  • Sonbol (Hyacinth): Spring flowers with the scent of heaven.
  • Sekkeh (coins): Represent prosperity and wealth.
  • A basket of painted eggs represents fertility.
  • A Seville orange floating in a bowl of water represents the earth floating in space.
  • A goldfish in a bowl represents life.
  • A flask of rose water known for its magical power is also included on the tablecloth.
  • And finally, incense (mounted in sprouts) whose fumes ward off evil spirits.
At NoRouz, children get fresh currency bills or coins from elderly relatives as gifts, but what it is most widely exchanged are lots of HUGs and KISSes for new friendships and renewing old ones!