Last year and again this year on March 16th I had the honor to attend the celebration of the Persian New Year of “No Ruz” at the California Assembly in Sacramento which was organized by State Assembly member Adrin Nazarian. The festivities were a part of an Assembly resolution which unanimously was passed in the legislature honoring Iranian Americans in California that was introduced by Nazarian, who is the first Iranian-born member of the Assembly. While Nazarian hails from the Iranian-Armenian community, No Ruz is a secular holiday celebrated by Iranians of various faiths each year. It is one of those occasions and ancient Persian traditions that calls for peace, re-birth and a tolerance among all mankind. In my opinion, the celebration of No Ruz is perhaps one of the most endure symbols of the ancient Persian empire’s quest for human co-existence in an environment of peace. To have the state government of one of the largest states in the America recognize the beauty of this ancient holiday and honor those from the Iranian community is a remarkable achievement for an immigrant community that has contributed so much to California’s success. Leaders from each of the Assembly caucuses stood up during the No Ruz resolution reading to honor the Iranian community and No Ruz. Kudos to Nazarian for introducing this amazing Persian tradition to the larger American society and for bringing together Jews, Christians, Muslims, Baha’is and Zoroastrians together in such a beautiful setting! In a time when the current evil Iranian regime is condemning the celebration of No Ruz in Iran and would like to stop the joyful spirit this holiday brings to average Iranians, those living outside of Iran must make an effort to keep this holiday alive and well in defiance of the regime.
The following are just some of the photos I captured from the No Ruz celebrations at the Assembly…
(left to right; Iranian American Businessman John Ardalan, Assembly member Mel Levin and Assembly member Adrin Nazarian, photo by Karmel Melamed)
(left to right; California Assembly speaker Toni Atkins speaks to Iranian American activist David Rahimian, photo by Karmel Melamed)
(left to right; Pouria Abbasi, Hamid Behdad and Beverly Hills Planning Commissioner Joe Shooshani, photo by Karmel Melamed).
(left to right; Beverly Hills Planning Commissioner Joe Shooshani and California State Senator Ben Allen, photo by Karmel Melamed)
