The Iranian Students Association invites students to attend Celebrating the Spring, the festival new year events, on Saturday, April 22, at 5:30 p.m. at the Janelle Y. Hembree Alumni House. Spring is a specific season in Iranian culture and has been celebrated by millions for over 3,000 years. Iranians hold many events and festivals to welcome spring.

These events start with Chaharshanbe Suri, a festival commemorating the fire, and continue with Nowruz, the Iranian New Year. Nowruz, which means "new day" in Farsi, dates to the time when Zoroastrianism was the official religion of ancient Iran or Persia. Nowruz occurs any time during the day or night between March 19-21, based on the time and place of observation of the sun. Since Nowruz is celebrated by so many all around the world, it has been recognized formally as an international holiday by the United Nations since 2010.  

Iranians eat specific foods during the Nowruz event, like Sabzi-Polo Mahi, as the first meal of the Persian New Year, a symbol of the rebirth of nature. In addition, Iranians celebrated the 13th day of Nowruz after 12 days of celebrating; each day represents a month of the year. This day is called Sizdah Be-Dar, when Iranians went to their fields and farms or plains and deserts and the banks of rivers to worship. They would rejoice and dance and happily ask for rain. It is an official ending to Nowruz and a beginning to the remaining 12 months of the year. Thus, the Iranian Student Association hopes to celebrate spring by bringing diverse groups of people from the university together and familiarizing them with a portion of the rich cultural traditions in Iran. 

Students can get their free tickets, and non-students can purchase tickets for $24, on Wednesday, April 12, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Friday, April 14, from 2 to 5 p.m. in front of the Arkansas Union. 

This event is supported by the Student Activities Fee as a funded event by the Associated Student Government and is free to all currently enrolled University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, students who pay the student activities fee. This event is held in a venue that meets ADA standards. Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend this event. If you require a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this event, please contact Sina Omyan, the president of the Iranian Student Association, at ISA@uark.edu, 479-466-9840, by five business days prior to the event.