Norooz 1397 - the Persian New Year (20 March, 2018)
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SOAS Iranian Society
Mar 18, 2018, 4:24:44 PM3/18/18
to soas-irani...@googlegroups.com
Dear all,
This year the Spring Equinox will occur at about 4:15pm (UK time) on Tuesday, 20 March, the moment at which point the Sun crosses the 'Celestial Equator'. For Iranians this will mark the beginning of the Persian New Year. On the Iranian calendar, the 1st Farvardin, 1397 will then fall on 21 March, 2018.
The Spring Equinox has been been marked as a special and festive occasion in the Northern Hemisphere by many different cultures in various forms for centuries. For Iranians, the Spring Equinox is known as Norooz (literally "New Day") and marks the Persian New Year. Norooz is a celebration of the renewal and rebirth of nature.
Although Norooz is most commonly known today as the 'Persian New Year' it is originally the Zoroastrian New Year, the indigenous and most widely followed religion of the Iranian peoples prior to the spread of Islam from Arabia. From it's Zoroastrian roots to having being promoted by different Persian empires and dynasties, Norooz has over time become a special and festive occasion marked by many communities and cultures. Outside of Iran, Norooz is also celebrated in many parts of modern day Afghanistan, Central Asia, the Caucasus and by the Parsi community in India. Norooz is also considered by the Kurdish people to be their New Year too.
Although the contemporary Iranian calendar now uses an Islamic date as it's starting point (in years), it is a solar calendar that corresponds to the Zodiac and retains much of it's Zoroastrian influence. The names of the Persian calendar months are derived from the names of Zoroastrian 'yazatas' (spiritual divinities and principles). The Iranian calendar is very close to the Western Astrological calendar, with both calendars starting at the Spring Equinox and the months on each calendar corresponding to each other as follows:
Iranian - Zodiac - Gregorian
Farvardin - Aries - (March / April)
Ordibehesht - Taurus - (April / May)
Khordad - Gemini - (May / June)
Tir - Cancer - (June / July)
Mordad - Leo - (July / August)
Shahrivar - Virgo - (August / September)
Mehr - Libra - (September / October)
Aban - Scorpio - (October / November)
Azar - Sagittarius - (November / December)
Dey - Capricorn - (December / January)
Bahman - Aquarius - (January / February)
Esfand - Pisces - (February / March)
For most Iranians, Norooz is now primarily a cultural celebration and is considered the main national festive tradition. Norooz celebrations usually start with preparing at home a table known as the Haft Seen table (a symbolic altar of sorts) which include 7 main items, each beginning with the letter 'S' in Persian, and a few other objects. On the last Tuesday night before the actual Spring Equinox an occasion known as Chaharshanbe Suri, a fire jumping ritual, is held. It is a symbolic act for the fire to take away your past woes and replace them with health. Persian New Year celebrations then finally conclude on the 13th day after Norooz, on the 13th Farvardin, an occasion known as Sizdah Bedar, which is a time to spend outdoors in parks, nature and green spaces, usually for a picnic and to throw away the Sabzeh (green sprouts), one of the items from the Haft Seen table, into flowing water.
Nowruz 2018 at SOAS
Date: Thursday, 22 March
Time: 19:00 - 23:00
Location: SOAS JCR / Bar
FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/350460148782964/
SOAS Afghan Society and SOAS Iranian Society will be hosting a casual celebration of Norooz with sweets, music and a live performance by Elaha Soroor and her band! If possible, food from both cuisines will also be on offer (Food to be confirmed on the day).
Organised by: SOAS Afghan Society and SOAS Iranian Society
Oxford Nowruz Dinner
Date: Tuesday, 20 March
Time: 19:30 - 22:00
Location: Linacre College Dining Hall, St. Cross Road, Oxford OX1 3JA
FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/806060389586655/
On the menu, there will be a traditional Nowruz dinner including Sabzi Polo, Mahi and Kookoo (please see pictures on this event page). Vegetarian options are also available. We will screen a short movie and give an introduction to the meaning of Nowruz and other festivities around Nowruz - such as the Haft Sin table and Sizdeh be dar.
Registration: https://goo.gl/forms/170i6dSZiW0eTtb03
Organised by: Oxford University Iranian Society
Persian New Year: Burns and Hafez - Bards Apart?
Date: Wednesday, 21 March
Time: 19:00 - 21:00
Venue: Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL
Celebrate Norouz (Persian New Year) at the V&A, with a lively performance of 'Burns and Hafez – Bards Apart?', an exploration of the works of Hafez Shirazi and Robert Burns.
Tickets & Further info: https://www.vam.ac.uk/event/N2dnPYO1/persian-new-year-burns-and-hafez-bards-apart
Organised by: Victoria & Albert Museum
CUPS Norouz Celebration Party - 1397
Date: Saturday, 24 March
Time: 19:00 - 23:30
Location: Hexagon Room, Frank Lee Centre, Hills Rd, Cambridge CB2 0SN
FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/181261409268011/
Live music, food, dance performance and a DJ! Ticket prices can be found in the FB link.
Organised by: Cambridge University Persian Society
Central Asian Spring Festival 2018 at UCL
Date: Sunday, 25 March
Time: 12:00 - 16:00
Location: UCL Main Quad, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT
FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/1558830434185939/
We are happy to invite you to our annual Central Asian Spring Festival (CASF) to celebrate "Nowruz" with us, a special day for Central Asian nations, signifying not only the spring equinox but also renewal of the nature. "Nowruz" symbolizes fertility, friendship and love.
This year marks the ninth annual CASF celebration!
Organised by: Central Asian Spring Festival (CASF)
Newroz (New Year) Party
Date: Thursday, 29 March
Time: 18:00 - 23:00
Location: Drapers Bar & Kitchen, Drapers Square, Queen Mary University, London E1 4FZ
FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/1926088474368673/
Join us this year for our landmark, student-run, cultural celebration marking the New Year!
Organised by: QM Kurdish Society, QM Afghan Society, QM Arab Society, QM Albanian Society, KCL Kurdish Society, UCL Kurdish Society and Goldsmiths Kurdish Society
Nowruz / Persian New Year
Date: Sunday, 01 April
Time: 18:00 - 00:00
Location: Cafe Cairo, 88 Landor Road, London SW9 9PE
FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/1714494481942829/
On Sunday 1st April we’re celebrating Persian New Year & everyone’s invited to the mehmooni. Music from Jonny Rock, Kasra V & more TBA, dancing, pizza, Iranian film screenings, Persian cocktails & snacks.
Come one, come all. there’s no school on Monday either so bring your friends - especially if they're celebrating Nowruz! 6pm ’til midnight. may the Farsi be with you!
Organised by: Julia Minou Kisray and Mazdak Sanii
Nowruz 1397
Date: Saturday, 24 March
Time: 17:00 - 23:00
Location: Cranford Community College, High Street, Cranford, Hounslow TW5 9PD
FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/1788374511468207/
Dancers will include Ziba Tabrizi, one of the very few performers of authentic Afghan, Persian and Azeri dance in the UK, will show you these graceful and diverse art forms, and Middlesex Afghan Society will be performing a traditional Attan Dance! More updates will follow - check the FB link.
Organised by: Afghanistan & Central Asian Association
Norooz Celebration
Date: Sunday, 25 March
Time: 18:00 - 22:00
Location: St Michael's Community Centre, Wrotham Road, Welling DA16 1LS
FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/200293123900618/
A community celebration of Norooz, the Persian New Year!
Organised by: IYDA
Iranian New Year Party
Date: Saturday, 24 March
Time: 19:00 - 23:30
Location: Greenford Hall, Ruislip Road, Greenford UB6 9QN
FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/349286375572780/
We would love to see you there, for what promises to be an evening to remember. The evening will be with entertainment, dinner, and live music. Your attendance will be a great show of support to IDSA's important work of empowering Iranian disabled people in the UK and Iran.
Organised by: Iranian Disability Support Association (IDSA)
Gholam (15) + ScreenTalk with Mitra Tabrizian
Date: Monday, 26 March
Time: 18:15
Venue: Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS
FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/206124903300517/
Haunted by his past and with an uncertain future, Gholam gets involved in the conflict of a total stranger and sees it through to the very end.
Set in London, Gholam is the story of an enigmatic Iranian cab driver, who works at night and doesn’t like to talk about his past.
Director Mitra Tabrizian joins the Barbican Centre for a post-film ScreenTalk.
Further info & Tickets: https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2018/event/gholam-15-screentalk-with-mitra-tabrizian
Other screening dates: https://tickets.barbican.org.uk/eticketing/performancelist.asp?shoID=43512,43513
Organised by: Barbican Centre
Enjoy your last week of term at SOAS everyone!
This year the Spring Equinox will occur at about 4:15pm (UK time) on Tuesday, 20 March, the moment at which point the Sun crosses the 'Celestial Equator'. For Iranians this will mark the beginning of the Persian New Year. On the Iranian calendar, the 1st Farvardin, 1397 will then fall on 21 March, 2018.
The Spring Equinox has been been marked as a special and festive occasion in the Northern Hemisphere by many different cultures in various forms for centuries. For Iranians, the Spring Equinox is known as Norooz (literally "New Day") and marks the Persian New Year. Norooz is a celebration of the renewal and rebirth of nature.
Although Norooz is most commonly known today as the 'Persian New Year' it is originally the Zoroastrian New Year, the indigenous and most widely followed religion of the Iranian peoples prior to the spread of Islam from Arabia. From it's Zoroastrian roots to having being promoted by different Persian empires and dynasties, Norooz has over time become a special and festive occasion marked by many communities and cultures. Outside of Iran, Norooz is also celebrated in many parts of modern day Afghanistan, Central Asia, the Caucasus and by the Parsi community in India. Norooz is also considered by the Kurdish people to be their New Year too.
Although the contemporary Iranian calendar now uses an Islamic date as it's starting point (in years), it is a solar calendar that corresponds to the Zodiac and retains much of it's Zoroastrian influence. The names of the Persian calendar months are derived from the names of Zoroastrian 'yazatas' (spiritual divinities and principles). The Iranian calendar is very close to the Western Astrological calendar, with both calendars starting at the Spring Equinox and the months on each calendar corresponding to each other as follows:
Iranian - Zodiac - Gregorian
Farvardin - Aries - (March / April)
Ordibehesht - Taurus - (April / May)
Khordad - Gemini - (May / June)
Tir - Cancer - (June / July)
Mordad - Leo - (July / August)
Shahrivar - Virgo - (August / September)
Mehr - Libra - (September / October)
Aban - Scorpio - (October / November)
Azar - Sagittarius - (November / December)
Dey - Capricorn - (December / January)
Bahman - Aquarius - (January / February)
Esfand - Pisces - (February / March)
For most Iranians, Norooz is now primarily a cultural celebration and is considered the main national festive tradition. Norooz celebrations usually start with preparing at home a table known as the Haft Seen table (a symbolic altar of sorts) which include 7 main items, each beginning with the letter 'S' in Persian, and a few other objects. On the last Tuesday night before the actual Spring Equinox an occasion known as Chaharshanbe Suri, a fire jumping ritual, is held. It is a symbolic act for the fire to take away your past woes and replace them with health. Persian New Year celebrations then finally conclude on the 13th day after Norooz, on the 13th Farvardin, an occasion known as Sizdah Bedar, which is a time to spend outdoors in parks, nature and green spaces, usually for a picnic and to throw away the Sabzeh (green sprouts), one of the items from the Haft Seen table, into flowing water.
Nowruz 2018 at SOAS
Date: Thursday, 22 March
Time: 19:00 - 23:00
Location: SOAS JCR / Bar
FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/350460148782964/
SOAS Afghan Society and SOAS Iranian Society will be hosting a casual celebration of Norooz with sweets, music and a live performance by Elaha Soroor and her band! If possible, food from both cuisines will also be on offer (Food to be confirmed on the day).
Organised by: SOAS Afghan Society and SOAS Iranian Society
Oxford Nowruz Dinner
Date: Tuesday, 20 March
Time: 19:30 - 22:00
Location: Linacre College Dining Hall, St. Cross Road, Oxford OX1 3JA
FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/806060389586655/
On the menu, there will be a traditional Nowruz dinner including Sabzi Polo, Mahi and Kookoo (please see pictures on this event page). Vegetarian options are also available. We will screen a short movie and give an introduction to the meaning of Nowruz and other festivities around Nowruz - such as the Haft Sin table and Sizdeh be dar.
Registration: https://goo.gl/forms/170i6dSZiW0eTtb03
Organised by: Oxford University Iranian Society
Persian New Year: Burns and Hafez - Bards Apart?
Date: Wednesday, 21 March
Time: 19:00 - 21:00
Venue: Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL
Celebrate Norouz (Persian New Year) at the V&A, with a lively performance of 'Burns and Hafez – Bards Apart?', an exploration of the works of Hafez Shirazi and Robert Burns.
Tickets & Further info: https://www.vam.ac.uk/event/N2dnPYO1/persian-new-year-burns-and-hafez-bards-apart
Organised by: Victoria & Albert Museum
CUPS Norouz Celebration Party - 1397
Date: Saturday, 24 March
Time: 19:00 - 23:30
Location: Hexagon Room, Frank Lee Centre, Hills Rd, Cambridge CB2 0SN
FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/181261409268011/
Live music, food, dance performance and a DJ! Ticket prices can be found in the FB link.
Organised by: Cambridge University Persian Society
Central Asian Spring Festival 2018 at UCL
Date: Sunday, 25 March
Time: 12:00 - 16:00
Location: UCL Main Quad, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT
FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/1558830434185939/
We are happy to invite you to our annual Central Asian Spring Festival (CASF) to celebrate "Nowruz" with us, a special day for Central Asian nations, signifying not only the spring equinox but also renewal of the nature. "Nowruz" symbolizes fertility, friendship and love.
This year marks the ninth annual CASF celebration!
Organised by: Central Asian Spring Festival (CASF)
Newroz (New Year) Party
Date: Thursday, 29 March
Time: 18:00 - 23:00
Location: Drapers Bar & Kitchen, Drapers Square, Queen Mary University, London E1 4FZ
FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/1926088474368673/
Join us this year for our landmark, student-run, cultural celebration marking the New Year!
Organised by: QM Kurdish Society, QM Afghan Society, QM Arab Society, QM Albanian Society, KCL Kurdish Society, UCL Kurdish Society and Goldsmiths Kurdish Society
Nowruz / Persian New Year
Date: Sunday, 01 April
Time: 18:00 - 00:00
Location: Cafe Cairo, 88 Landor Road, London SW9 9PE
FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/1714494481942829/
On Sunday 1st April we’re celebrating Persian New Year & everyone’s invited to the mehmooni. Music from Jonny Rock, Kasra V & more TBA, dancing, pizza, Iranian film screenings, Persian cocktails & snacks.
Come one, come all. there’s no school on Monday either so bring your friends - especially if they're celebrating Nowruz! 6pm ’til midnight. may the Farsi be with you!
Organised by: Julia Minou Kisray and Mazdak Sanii
Nowruz 1397
Date: Saturday, 24 March
Time: 17:00 - 23:00
Location: Cranford Community College, High Street, Cranford, Hounslow TW5 9PD
FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/1788374511468207/
Dancers will include Ziba Tabrizi, one of the very few performers of authentic Afghan, Persian and Azeri dance in the UK, will show you these graceful and diverse art forms, and Middlesex Afghan Society will be performing a traditional Attan Dance! More updates will follow - check the FB link.
Organised by: Afghanistan & Central Asian Association
Norooz Celebration
Date: Sunday, 25 March
Time: 18:00 - 22:00
Location: St Michael's Community Centre, Wrotham Road, Welling DA16 1LS
FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/200293123900618/
A community celebration of Norooz, the Persian New Year!
Organised by: IYDA
Iranian New Year Party
Date: Saturday, 24 March
Time: 19:00 - 23:30
Location: Greenford Hall, Ruislip Road, Greenford UB6 9QN
FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/349286375572780/
We would love to see you there, for what promises to be an evening to remember. The evening will be with entertainment, dinner, and live music. Your attendance will be a great show of support to IDSA's important work of empowering Iranian disabled people in the UK and Iran.
Organised by: Iranian Disability Support Association (IDSA)
Gholam (15) + ScreenTalk with Mitra Tabrizian
Date: Monday, 26 March
Time: 18:15
Venue: Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS
FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/206124903300517/
Haunted by his past and with an uncertain future, Gholam gets involved in the conflict of a total stranger and sees it through to the very end.
Set in London, Gholam is the story of an enigmatic Iranian cab driver, who works at night and doesn’t like to talk about his past.
Director Mitra Tabrizian joins the Barbican Centre for a post-film ScreenTalk.
Further info & Tickets: https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2018/event/gholam-15-screentalk-with-mitra-tabrizian
Other screening dates: https://tickets.barbican.org.uk/eticketing/performancelist.asp?shoID=43512,43513
Organised by: Barbican Centre
Enjoy your last week of term at SOAS everyone!
Happy Norooz! Happy Persian New Year! and Happy Spring Equinox for any other tradition that you celebrate this special occasion on!
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