Reformed
Iranian group hosts New Year celebration
By
Katie Plourd
Online Forty-Niner
Managing Editor
The Iranian Student Association (ISA) hosted its first event Tuesday in front
of Lecture Hall 151 since its reformation 10 days ago.
The association gathered in celebration of Nowruz, also known as the Iranian
New Year, and offered pastries and a display of a traditional Nowruz dinner.
ISA President and mechanical engineering graduate student Fuad Sarhangnejad
collaborated with other Iranian students looking to form the group after a
two-year absence. They pulled together traditional materials to show students
how the New Year, which falls on the spring equinox, is celebrated in the Iranian
culture.
Nowruz is a widely celebrated holiday for Iranians according to Fuad, who was
born in Hartford, Conn., and moved to Iran when he was 5 months old where he
lived for 23 years before coming to Southern California to get his degree.
“
It’s huge back home,” Fuad said. “It’s a 13-day holiday,
where no one has work and kids don’t go to school, and on the 13th day
everyone goes out into nature, away from the big cities and celebrates.”
The celebration officially begins the last Wednesday of spring, according to
the Persian Cultural Center’s newsletter. On the evening of the last
Wednesday of the celebration, bonfires are lit and people leap over them to
rid themselves of negativity from the year. As they jump over the fire, people
sing “Give me your red glow and take away my pale yellow color.”
According to Helen Moemenbellah, molecular cell biology major and ISA Public
Relations officer, during the first four days of the holiday people visit friends
and family at their houses and bring traditional Persian pastries. Children
also receive gifts from their elders.
On the actual New Year, which fell on Monday, Iranians celebrate with a traditional
meal in which seven items are served, each with a symbolic meaning, Fuad said.
The meal includes sprouts representing rebirth, a sweet pudding made from sprouts
which also represents rebirth, an apple for beauty, dried lotus fruit for happiness
and love, vinegar for age and patience, garlic for health, and sumac berries
for employment.
Fuad and Moemenbellah displayed all the items on a table where they offered
literature about the holiday and traditional pastries for students to eat.
This is just the first event of many Fuad hopes to implement through ISA.
“
We want to reach out to the Persian and Iranian community and teach them how
to network, about American life, how to become independent and avoid being
homesick” Fuad said.
He said the ISA will begin with teaching students about the cultural aspects
of Iranian life and then move into academic and educational activities as well.
With Iran constantly in the news portrayed in a somewhat negative light, Fuad
has decided to make a rule at ISA meetings that only English be spoken.
“
We decided to only talk in English to make everyone feel welcome,” Fuad
said. “We want to educate everyone about the culture, the region, tradition
and everything that goes on.”
The ISA received donations from two CSULB graduates and Executive Manager of
Foothill Nissan of La Cresenta Jobe Atashi after Moemenbellah called into a
local Persian radio station.
“
I called AM 670 KIRN and told them about our plan to try to open up ISA,” Moemenbellah
said. “They let me speak on-air and I was contacted by sponsors right
after.”
Moemenbellah wants to create a strong ISA anyone can be a part of.
The next ISA meeting will be April 4 from 5 to 6 p.m. in USU-221.
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