By Tasha Sotomayor
Norooz, a Persian festival of spring, is a sacred season of purity, sincerity and kindness, even amid a time of war. The festival began Friday March 21.
Norooz is a healthy renewal time for most people, said John Henry Jorgensen, an Armenian instructor. You let the bad go and usher in the good, he said.
Historically, people sang and danced through the streets with tambourines, kettledrums and trumpets to spread good cheer and the news of the coming new year. Norooz ceremonies are symbolic representations of two ancient concepts - the End and the Rebirth: or Good and Evil.
In the Persian culture, he said, the color yellow signifies evil and the cowardly nature of man.
'Most Persians dance over seven fires and say, ''Take my yellowness, my sickness, and give me brightness,''' Jorgensen said.
Jorgensen had his students participate in activities for Norooz by making New Year''s resolutions and jumping over candles.
In Iran, huge cultural demonstrations are going on right now, he said. The fact that the people are still putting culture first is a good sign, Jorgensen said.
Mary Farahnakian, and her husband, Hooshang, hosted the first BYU Persian New Year Celebration in the Kennedy Center Friday. The celebration opened with a prayer in Farsi (Persian), followed by stories, authentic Persian music, dance and food.
Farahnakian said tension is prevalent in Iran, and the festival is not as colorful this year, as it has been in the past.
'Everyone is worried about the world, not their own country,' she said. 'We are scared for the world.'
She said through education people will understand each other better, and the distance between people will start to disappear.
'We''re dancing and singing because we are the same people as we were before the beginning of this war, but we need to pray that peace will return soon,' she said.
Jason Acosta, 24, a junior from El Paso, Texas, majoring in history and Russian, said people everywhere are just people, and once the world is rid of Saddam Hussein, he hopes Americans and Iranians can continue their friendship in peace.
'Just because the dictators are crummy doesn''t mean people can''t be friends,' he said.
Daniel Peterson went to Iran as a guest of the Iranian government and said he discovered a rich culture that continues to live on.
'There is a reserve of goodwill in Iran,' he said. 'In time, the barriers between Americans and Iranians will be broken down, and when they are, it will give us an opportunity to rediscover Iran.'