On Saturday, March 20, 2021, the NIAC Los Angeles chapter welcomed Norooz, the first day of the Persian New Year with Part III of NIAC’s Norooz 1400 series with a memorable and vibrant celebration Norooz 1400: Welcoming the Light of the New Century. You can view the recording of the event here.
We are extremely grateful to the artists, musicians, philanthropists, and all the community members who worked hard to make this event possible. In addition, we were honored to have our keynote speaker Dr. Khodadad Rezakhani of Leiden University show us with an engaging presentation about the history of Norooz and the Haft Seen, the“Seven S’s” spread that families celebrating Norooz set up in their homes to welcome the new year and the first day of Spring. Dr. Rezakhani also answered live questions from the audience about the history of the Persian calendar as well as Haji Firooz, a controversial fictional character who appears in the streets at the beginning of Norooz. If you have any more questions for Dr. Rezakhani, please email him at [email protected]. You can also check out his website which contains links to his research publications, podcast, and more.
You can learn more about the artists, musicians, and organizations at the event who celebrated Norooz with us at these links below:
- For this Norooz, you can make an impact and help people in need! Here’s Moms Against Poverty direct monthly donation link and a link for one-time donations.
- Zia Ghiasi’s Spotify (“Today is the New Tomorrow” musical submission):
- You can learn more about Sam Hyson’s Chicago Folklore Ensemble and Nate Torrence’s Soundcloud.
- Farnaz Khosh-Sirat’s website (piano piece and light video).
- Learn more about the University of Chicago’s MEME Music Ensemble that has been defining the Chicago music scene for over twenty years. MEME’s groundbreaking Director Wanees Zarour has another group called East Loop.
- Learn more about amazing children’s books about Norooz and Persian culture here.