Spring Break
Norouz celebration features fun, moving Persian culture
Allison Lex
Issue date: 4/13/09 Section: Focus
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The Iranian Association, a student organization with about 30 active members, hosts the Norouz celebration every year. The event is well attended by Iranian and non-Iranian UConn students, faculty and families from the surrounding area. According to an e-mail that Iranian Association President Arman Azimi sent to the student body in March, Norouz has been the most important celebration in Persian culture for more than 2,500 years.
Norouz translates to "new day" in English and is a celebration that coincides with the spring equinox. This year, the Persian New Year was officially celebrated on March 20. According to the Persian calendar, this year's Norouz marks the beginning of year 1388.
The Iranian Association's program for the evening had two parts. The first hour was devoted to a celebration of Persian culture, after which the dance floor was promptly opened to all.
"Some people have come here to enjoy Persian culture, some have come here for the dancing - we hope to satisfy both groups," said Sean Ghassemzadeh, vice president of the organization, during the English translation of the introduction. Azimi introduced the event in Persian.
After students in the Iranian Association led the crowd in a singing of "Ey Iran," a popular nationalistic Persian song, the cultural celebration began with a speech by Fakhreddin Azimi.
Fakhreddin Azimi, a UConn professor of history and advisor to the Iranian Association, was introduced by Arman Azimi as an internationally recognized scholar in modern Iranian history. He spoke enthusiastically - and in Persian-about the importance of Norouz.
Dr. Azimi followed his speech with a reading of a Persian poem by Mehdi Akhavan Sales, a famous modern Iranian poet. Arman Azimi said the poem, the title of which translates to "O You Ancient Land, I Love Thee," shows the poet's love for his country and specifically mentions several cities and regions in Iran. "So when your homeland is mentioned, please stand to show your pride," he said.
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