GROSSMONT COLLEGE– Today, March 19, marks the beginning of Nowruz, a New Year’s holiday celebrated at the time of the Spring Equinox in Iran and in neighboring countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s a holiday with roots tracing back to the pre-Muslim era of Persia when Zoroastrianism was a dominant belief in that region.
Students Shamsi Baktyr, originally from Iran, and Rida Alkurdy, who came from the Kurdish area of Iraq, are both students in an English as a Second Language class here at Grossmont.
Last year, the two had a symbolic picnic to mark the Nowruz holiday. Today’s rain makes such outdoor celebrations difficult, if not impossible.
Baktyr said modern Iranians celebrate Nowruz for 13 days. The first few days are spent visiting older members of the family and other relatives and friends. Gifts are exchanged; sweets and feasts will be consumed. At the last day many people will leave their homes to go to the parks or rural areas to spend a day in nature.
In Zoroastrianism, everything that produced life, protected and enriched was regarded as good. This included all forces of nature beneficial to humans. Earth, water, sky, animals, plants were all good. Justice, honesty, peace, health, beauty, joy and happiness were regarded as belonging to the good forces. All that threatened life and created disorder belonged to the hostile spirits.
Many of the rituals associated with those beliefs are still popular today, notwithstanding the fact that both Iran and Iraq are Muslim countries.
An important aspect of the Nowruz rituals is setting a special table with seven specific items present. In the ancient times each of the items corresponded to one of the seven creations and the seven holy immortals protecting them.
The seven kinds receipt of food are; Sabzeh- Sprouts, representing renewal; Serkeh- Vinegar, representing patience; Sombol- Hyacinth, representing the perfume of spring; Seer- Garlic, representing health; Samanu- a pudding like paste made from wheat grass, representing bounty; Seeb- Apple, representing beauty;and Sumaq- pulverized Sumac berries, representing dawn’s light (Good) overtaking the night (Evil) “Wde use to bring the seven different kinds of food and drinks and now it’s the good company instead of old memories,” commented Baktyr. “We have to begin our new year with new hope.”
Commented Alkurdy: “Nothing will fill our old times in Kurdistan when we used to wear different colors of clothes and spent our Nowrus day in the green fields of lands and mountains, with special music and debkka (traditional dances) “
The El Cajon Library schedules a special event each year with Persian music and special foklore to honor the Nowruz holiday.
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Tamimi is El Cajon bureau chief for the GC Summit. He may be contacted at [email protected]
