Happy Nowruz from CIES

With nearly 100,000 Iranian born residents and more than 160,000 residents of Iranian descent living in Canada, well over a quarter of million people began celebrating the New Year on March 20th, 2015. The exact moment of the new year is called Tahvil. Nowruz lasts 12 days in Iran.

The Persian New Year marks the first day of spring and also is the Baha'i New Year, but the holiday is celebrated by Iranians of all religions. The celebration's origins can be traced back to the Zoroastrian tradition. The word Nowruz is a compound word, combining "now" which means "new," and "roz" which means "day."As the holiday coincides with the vernal equinox, its date changes every year.

The Persian Golf Club held a big celebration to mark the onset of the New Year at the University of Calgary's MacEwan Hall and posted an album on their Facebook page. The University of Calgary is also currently hosting the Iranian Photo Exhibit "Burnt Generation" at the Founders Gallery through April 12th. The exhibit's title refers to the generation that grew up with Iran's 1979 Revolution and through the Iran-Iraq war's end in 1988. The Canadian Art Foundation listed the exhibit at number four in the 15 Photos exhibits not to miss this year. For a more detailed look of this time in Iranian history, the academy award winning animated film Persepolis (trailer below) is also worth checking out.

All of us at CIES send you best wishes in the New Year!