The Persian Student Association will host Persian Night in the Michael D. Rose Theatre at 6 p.m on March 29.
The event is in celebration of Persian New Year, called Nowruz. There will be an exhibition of Iranian handcrafts, a traditional Haft-Seen table and a featured performance by Iranian-born dancer Banafsheh Sayyad.
Nowruz marks the first day Persian calendar, which is one of the oldest chronological records of human history in existence. Meaning "new day," it is celebrated on the vernal, or spring equinox, which usually falls around March 21.
Borhan Samei, a computer science major and president of the PSA, said Nowruz is celebrated by many ethnic communities.
"It is a secular holiday that is enjoyed by people of several different faiths, including people from Iran, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Kurdish regions and other scattered populations in Central Asia," Samei, 24, said.
Because of its archaic origins there is no recorded date for the first Nowruz, but scholars believe the holiday was already a tradition by the time the Achaemenid Empire came to power in 550 B.C.E. According to the "Shahnameh," an epic poem written by the 10th century Persian poet Ferdowsi, the origins of Nowruz can be traced back to the mythical king Jamshid who saved the world from an apocalyptic winter.
Because the holiday is celebrated by such a wide array of people spanning several millennia, the traditions vary from country to country. One in particular, the Haft-Seen, has remained a central Norwruz tradition throughout the ages.
"Haft-Seen is a traditional table setting of Nowruz," Samei said. "There are seven symbolic items where name of each begins with the Persian letter "Seen" ('S') and so it is called the Haft-Seen (Seven 'S').
The number seven has been sacred in Iran since the ancient times."
The seven symbolic items include Sabzeh, sprouts representing rebirth; Samanu, a pudding in which common wheat sprouts are transformed into a sweet, creamy pudding that represents affluence; Seeb, an apple that represents health and beauty; Senjed, the sweet, dry fruit of the Lotus tree that represents love; Seer, garlic that represents medicine; Sumac, which represents the color of the sunrise and Serkeh, vinegar that represents age and patience.
"The Haft-Seen table is like the Christmas tree, so its very important to Iranians, and every Iranian home has one," said Lily Afshar, advisor to PSA, and a professor of guitar at the University of Memphis. "There will be a Haft-Seen table at the Saturday night celebration."
In addition to the Haft-Seen table, the event will also feature a dance performance by Banafsheh Sayyad. Sayyad is known for her distinct dance style, known as the "Dance of Oneness," which is influenced by Sufism, Persian dance and ritual, Tai Chi and Flamenco
"In her words, Dance of Oneness is a way of life-rigorous, disciplined and passionate-an active ground for self-knowledge and healing," Samei said. "It is not only about technique, but also the inner dimensions of movement. This is a way to integrate oneself, harmonize with others and serve the greater Existence."
Founded in 2010 by Iranian students at U of M, PSA is a student organization whose mission is to promote the Persian culture by sponsoring various cultural and social events and to introduce their culture to other people who come from different cultures.
"We serve as someone who comes from a different culture to let others learn more about Persians while also collaborating with other student organizations in the multi-cultural environment of the U of M," Samei said.
