UHS’ Persian Culture Club hosted an event celebrating Nowruz, or Persian New Year, on March 21 during lunch.  The holiday marks the first day of spring, and its activities represent rebirth and the link between nature and humans.

“I am so proud of the Persian Culture Club’s efforts to run UNI’s Nowruz or Persian New Year event this year,” Persian Culture Club president senior Jasmine Nourisamie said. “Persian New Year holds a special place in my heart since I have so many childhood memories of this holiday.”

Club members were grateful to share traditions such as the haft-sin table, which is a traditional custom of the holiday and has seven different items rich in history and culture.

“The event is special to our club because the Persian New Year or Nowruz is celebrated in so many countries in the Middle East and Central Asia,” sophomore Roxy Rahimi said. “Many students volunteered to bring objects that are traditionally placed on the haft-sin table, and each of the objects placed on this table symbolizes good energy for the upcoming year.”

The club organized the event in the MPR before school and during first and fourth periods, as some members had open periods and others were even willing to leave their classes to prepare for the event.

“Being able to throw the Nowruz event meant a great deal to this club, and it was overall a great opportunity to share our cultural traditions and customs [ . . . ] with the UNI community,” junior Melanie Tabatabai said. “The preparation, as always, was somewhat complex, as we had to ensure that each item was brought for the table.”

Students further expressed their appreciation for the planning leading up to the event and what the event meant to them.

“Coming to school that early morning to set up was an amazing experience, being able to set up this symbolic table rich with history and culture with my friends was quite a memorable experience which I will never forget,” Tabatabai said. “In my eyes, it was a successful day as we were able to showcase the club and celebrate the start of spring.”