Kathryn Sears
Festive Persian music filled the air at Marina Bay Park Saturday as dancers in colorful dress performed on the stage and those in the audience danced on the lawn. All around them, the aroma of grilled koobideh kebab drifted through the breeze.
Richmond celebrated the Norooz* Spring Celebration for the first time, using an asterisk to acknowledge that the festival is spelled differently in different regions. Norooz, or Nowruz, is an ancient festival marking the Persian New Year and the arrival of spring.
“In our culture, which is the culture of West and Central Asia, Nowruz is as significant as Thanksgiving plus Christmas plus New Year,” said Richmond City Council member Soheila Bana.
The event featured ethnic dances and live music from different parts of Central Asia. Long lines formed with people eager to try koobideh kebab and other Persian dishes. Businesses and nonprofits from around the Bay Area set up stalls at the event. And a traditional Haft Seen table displayed seven symbolic items starting with the Persian letter S, such as sprouts, pudding, dried fruits, vinegar, apple, garlic and sumac. Each represents the hope of prosperity in the new year. The program ended with a DJ performance and attendees dancing on the center stage.
“All these people joined those 300 million people in the rest of the world who are celebrating,” said Nazy Kaviani, founder and executive director of Diaspora Arts Connection, which joined the city in hosting the event.
In welcoming the crowd, Mayor Eduuardo Martinez quoted Hafez, the Persian lyric poet, saying, “The place you are right now, God circled on a map for you.”
Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia used the festival to express his support for immigrant families and acknowledge the hate and discrimination many may be feeling in light of recent actions by the federal government.
“All of you here are testament to the fact that we are a better, a richer, a vibrant community when we celebrate our diversity of cultures,” he said.
California state Sen. Aisha Wahab introduced a resolution in the Senate, recognizing the cultural significance of the holiday and its themes of renewal and peace.
“People can talk whatever they want; the media portrays us in so many different ways,” she said at the festival. “Our culture is a beautiful culture that needs to be celebrated and revered.”
(Top photo: Amir Etemadzadeh and Işık Berfin perform traditional music at Richmond’s Norooz festival, by Anasooya Thorakkattu.)
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