West Vancouver’s Ambleside Park recently held a festival to mark the start of the Persian New Year.
The fire festival, which is a traditional way to mark the occasion, was organized in part by Davood Ghavami, who is a member of the Iranian Canadian Congress of BC.
He noted that the event, which is called Chahārshanbeh Suri, marks the end of the old year and welcomes the new, which is known as the Nowruz.
The evening of festivities lasted for six hours, and included dancing, bonfires, and live performances. Part of the celebration involved participants jumping over a fire while speaking words to purify themselves and bid welcome to the upcoming year. This is a traditional event that has a history going back for more than a millennium.
Ghavami remarked that each year, more and more people come out to take part in the fun. It’s been going on for 25 years, and he said that though it started out chaotic, it has become much more organized. A flyer printing firm can help with this by creating advertisements that let people know about the festival and how they can take part.
The week of the new year will also include other activities that are family based, such as visiting with friends and relatives, wearing new clothes, and enjoying traditional sweets and other foods.
