The Persian Student Association (PSA) gathered Wednesday on The Friendship Walk to celebrate Norooz, the Persian new year.
Norooz, which means “new day,” is a major holiday in the Persian culture. Norooz festivities last three weeks, starting a week before the actual day and continuing a week after the official change of the year.
The actual time of Norooz is very specific. According to the PSA President Helen Moemen, it occurred on Tuesday at exactly 5:07 p.m. and 27 seconds.
At that moment, the sun was directly over the equator and the new year began. Norooz is based on a lunar calendar, so it occurs at the same time as the spring equinox.
Moemen also said that presents and money are given to celebrate the new year.
Rameneh Kharrat, the secretary of the PSA, said that in Iran, students get time off school for Norooz just as students in the United States would get time off for Christmas. Kharrat said people also take time off work and spend the three weeks of Norooz visiting friends and family.
“It’s one big party in Iran,” Kharrat said.
To bring Norooz to Cal State Long Beach, the PSA set up a table following Norooz traditions.
“We always have a table for Norooz,” Moemen said. The table displays seven items, all of which start with the letter “s.” According to Moemen, in Farsi (the Persian language) the letter “s” means very strong.
The PSA provided interested students with fliers containing information about the history of Norooz.
An article by Shahri Estaskhry described the seven items on the table: the sabzeh (sprouts from wheat or lentil) represents rebirth; samanu (sweet pudding made from wheat sprouts) also represents rebirth; sib (apple) represents beauty; senjed (dry fruit of lotus) represents happiness and love; serkeh (vinegar) represents age and patience; seer (garlic) represents health; and somaq (sumac berries) represents joy.
The PSA table did not have any samanu because the group could not pass it out. It was replaced with cookies.
Another part of the Norooz celebration, which occurs a week before the actual day, is fire jumping. According to Kharrat, it is tradition to jump over small fires in order to ward off evil spirits for the new year. Norooz celebrations start with fire jumping, and they continue for three weeks.
Though not many students stopped at the table to find out about Norooz, Moemen said some had shown interest earlier. Moemen also said that the PSA will be hosting a cultural dance on April 21.
