Persian Parade in Edinburgh, Scotland! A Passion for Culture and Nature: How do Persians Celebrate Their New Year Outside Iran
Society and Culture Blog, Kodoom.com Editorial:
Every spring, millions of Iranians, Afghans, Tajiks, Azerbaijanis, Armenians, Kurds and other Asian nations let their spirit be uplifted during the festivities of the Persian New Year (Nowruz). And there is no better place to check out Nowruz events than event pages on Kodoom.com (link). Here are some interesting highlights of Nowruz 2019:
Among Nowruz festivities are the various Persian parades (carnivals), now taking places in New York, Chicago (occasional), Los Angeles and as far as Scotland!
This year, celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Edinburgh Iranian Festival in Scotland organized a Persian Parade, as well as Persian fashion catwalks, Books, Performances, Films and much more.
On April 14, New York will also witness another Nowruz Persian parade (link) which begins on Madison Avenue & 39th Street and ends with a festival of music and dance in Madison Square Park in Manhattan.
Besides street parades and fairs, cultural and charitable institutions host various events to introduce Nowruz to the public. For example, every year the California-based Farhang Foundation produces or sponsors several high caliber festivities in and around Los Angeles. This year's celebrations include concerts by Parisa in Los Angeles and Homayoun Shajarian and Pournazeri brothers in Orange County.
The Oregon-based Child Foundation (see Editorial HERE) will host their annual Nowruz Bazaar and Celebration, free and open to the public, on March 17 in Irvine, California.
The London-based Laila Salehzehi Charitable Foundation (LSCF, see Editorial HERE)) also celebrates Nowruz every year in one of London's most prestigious venues (event link).
There are a number of world-class international educational and cultural institutions that celebrate the rich Persian history and culture every Nowruz too. For example, in 2019, the Smithsonian's Freer|Sackler and Ripley Center in Washington, D.C., once again celebrates Persian New Year in style (event link). The Gallery is alive with sights and sounds of the New Year on March 16, with Haft sin table displays, featuring seven symbolic objects to welcome the new year, cinematic shadow-puppet performances based on the Persian epic the Shahnama, interactive storytelling by Xanthe Gresham, pop-up concerts in the galleries and much more.
Some 140 miles north of Washington, D.C., the Penn Museum in Philadelphia offers a FREE cultural Nowruz festival (with admission to the Museum). During the day (event link), there are art-making classes and workshops, special performances with storytelling and tours. The museum stays open late on March 30 for an evening gathering with live music and cocktails.
There are also numerous Chaharshanbeh Soori (Persian hopping-over-bonfire) festivals in which people chant in Persian “Give me your beautiful red color and take back my sickly pallor!” while jumping over the flames.
Nowruz is a popular holiday for children mainly because they receive a lot of Eidi (Feast gift, in Persian). In recent years, in addition to the cash Eidi for children, the tradition of giving to the needy and offering "cultural" gifts to the loved ones is becoming increasingly popular among Persians. Example of cultural gift ideas sponsored this Nowruz on our website are the exquisite children's book Zahhak: The Legend of the Serpent King, The Library of Persian Literature, Donation solicitations for children in need in Iran by The Child Foundation, and Nowruz Event Tickets for friends, families and loved ones.
Check HERE for an updated list of other Nowruz events around the world. We constantly add to this list through our robotic and human editors.
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