Iranian Students Society commemorated the new year with a celebration of Nowruz on Saturday.
Hamed Bateni, the president of Iranian Students Society, sang of the scent of berries and smoked fish on the table, the jasmine in a grandmother’s prayer rug and the joy of breaking the piggy bank when given money by relatives.
“Kudakaneh,” a song about Nowruz, was a nostalgic nod to the Persian New Year traditions that are alive not only in Iran, but also throughout the old Persian region.
Nowruz ushers in the beginning of spring and revolves around the spring equinox. Because the celebration falls at a different hour every year, Persian families often stay awake into the early hours. the Iranian Student Society hosted Nowruz in Baker Ballroom on Saturday.
At the start of the new year, family members gather around the haft-seen table. That traditional table was set to the side of the stage with an arrangement of seven items that start with the letter "seen" in the Persian alphabet. Symbols of fertility, renewal, strength, beauty, health, patience and love decorated the table.
Videos, such as Nowruz: Lost and Found, explaining the traditions of Nowruz alternated with performances of Persian culture.
Mohammad Gholami, a graduate student studying mechanical engineering, performed traditional Persian music with several students. They played handmade instruments, including a daf ( a large frame drum), kamancheh (a bowed string instrument) and a ney (an end-blown flute).
“When these instruments ... start playing, they have (nostalgia),” Gholami said. “All people have some memories with that. It’s in their childhood.”
Persian music is meditative and trance-like, according to Behzad Namazi a Ph.D. student studying music. Its highest objective is to offer the experience referred to as ḥāl — an “almost metaphysical mental state of ecstasy,” he said.
Namazi said the music also bolstered the diversity aspect of the event.
“It plays an important role in the regions, in the regional tradition,” he said. “(In Iran), you find a nation that is comprised of an aggregate musical tradition. Music is an integral part of Persian life.”
The event highlighted the diversity of Iran and embraced the differences in the ethnic groups that create its rich culture. Persians, Azerbaijanis, Kurds, Lurs, Mazanderanis, Gilaks, Arabs, Baloch and Turkmen create the ethnic majorities of the country, but several minorities also were mentioned. While a presentation shared images of the diverse populace, Iranian students cheered for their home regions.
Bateni, a Ph.D. student studying chemical engineering, said he wanted the audience to be able to fully connect with the culture. To do that, the group provided English translations and made the event interactive.
Each audience member was given a line from Iranian poet Hafez, and five were challenged to come to the stage to practice their Farsi.
Amritjit Singh, a professor of English and African-American studies, participated in the exercise. Being from India, he said some of the words were familiar because Indian etymologies often come from Persia.
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For meeting the challenge, each participant received a gift. Singh was given a book of Rumi, another famous Iranian poet.
“It’s great that OU is able to do these (events),” Singh said. “I just think that international cultures are not having as much of an impact on university life and Athens life as you would think they would. Some (people) have not really responded to internationals students and international cultures. It’s a great, valuable asset.”
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