A holiday unknown to most AU students will make its debut on campus Monday. Nowruz, Persian for New Years, will be celebrated on the Quad by the Persian Club, which brings Iranian cultural events to AU.
Zubin Amiri, president of the club, said he hopes the AU community will get a sense of Persian culture and what it means to be Persian.
"One of the main purposes is to educate people about the Iranian culture - to let them know that they're not scary people," he said. "We want to let people know we're very hospitable and not just all about nuclear weapons and all that."
Nowruz is the celebration of the advent of spring and dates back thousands of years before the dawn of Christianity. The Persian philosopher Zoroaster founded the philosophy (it shares his name - Zoroastrianism), which divides the world into the two forces of good and evil.
It contains many elements of the Abrahamic religions, including concepts of hell, heaven, the messiah and resurrection. Another characteristic is in the week before Nowruz, when followers jump over pyres that symbolize to angels that humans are ready to receive them.
The Persian club did not sponsor bonfire jumping. "I don't think the administration will approve that," Amiri said, chuckling.
Instead, on Nowruz, the club will lay out a table with tea, sweets, traditional food and objects unique to the holiday.
"We just signed a contract today providing food for at least 300 people," he said.
Nowruz's date is based on the solar calendar, which starts on the first day of spring. It is customary for celebrations to last 13 days, but the tables on campus will only last one day. The ceremonial table features seven objects, and each starts with the Persian letter "sinn" and represents elements of a satisfying life. For example, "sabzeh," or wheat sprouts, represent rebirth, and "sib," an apple, represents health and beauty.
In Iran, Nowruz is the biggest national holiday, according to Amiri. "People greet each other, give presents and visit almost every single person in the family," he said. "The oldest are visited by the youngest, and people you haven't seen for a year you see at New Years. It's a very strong tradition of Iran."
For Amiri, was born in Los Angeles but lived in Iran for eight years, the holiday and club are ways to introduce non-Iranians to Persian culture and reconnect Iranians to their homeland.
"The Iranian culture is very rich, very family-oriented. ... I lived in Iran so I pretty much consider myself Iranian. I really appreciate its values, culture and tradition," he said. "One of the biggest differences between U.S. and Iranian culture is that the U.S. values individuals and Iranians value the family."
The club debuted in 2003, but it wasn't until the 2004 earthquake in Bam, Iran, that killed more than 30,000 that the club grew. Amiri, who visits Iran twice a year, helped raise $1,300 to build houses.
In 2005, Amiri met professors Carole O'Leary and Fera Simone, who both teach classes on the Middle East.
"Professor O'Leary recognized me and helped me find all of these students who are Persian or who are not Persian, but are interested in Persia and Persian culture," he said. "They helped me raise the number of people in the club to 35."
One student who loves Persian culture but is not of Persian ancestry is Scott Bohlinger, a master's candidate in international conflict resolution.
"I grew up in the culture in California, where there's a large Iranian exile population," he said. "I've always been involved in Iranian cultural events, and I was president of a Persian club when I was an undergrad [at the University of California-San Diego]," he said.
One of the things that draws Bohlinger to Iran is its strong social fabric.
"Learning about their debates and struggles opened up my world beyond the realm of acceptable ideas in this country," he said. "Also, there's a highly developed social etiquette in Iranian culture that deals very deeply and intriguingly in affiliations and ways people should act towards each other."
Bohlinger's interest in his country is flattering for Amiri. "It's a good feeling on campus to have people who are either Iranian or related to the Iranian culture, or have interest in the Iranian culture, to have something like this," he said. "It adds to the diversity of the campus."
The Persian Club's Nowruz event takes place on the Quad today from noon to 3 p.m.
