SeeCalifornia.com

In Southern California Persians plan to gather at Corona del Mar State Beach to celebrate Persian New Year with a  ‘jump over the bonfire’ –held on the very same night that Newport Beach City Council contemplates removing those very fire rings that are enjoyed by cultures from around the world, each with their own celebrations.

Meanwhile, in Berkeley, the annual Persian New Year event will be enjoyed at the same time in more permanent digs at the Persian Center, which hosts an annual festival inviting all to come. Chahr-Shanbeh Souri, which literally means ‘Eve of Wednesday’, is a festival held on the last Tuesday of winter, just before the Vernal Equinox or first moment of spring. The procession to Jump Over the Fire symbolically shakes off the darkness of winter, welcoming the lightness of spring. It is a Persian ritual passed down since ancient Zoroastrian times.

Public invited: Tuesday, March 13, 2012, at Persian Center, 2029 Durant Avenue in Berkeley from 6-10 p.m. Cost: Free.

Berkeley & Persian New Year Trivia:

• It is customary for people to create bonfires in front of their homes throughout the neighborhood and jump over them as the sun sets.
• Celebrations take place around the world, but especially in Iran, parts of Afghanistan and India.
• Since Persian Center owns it’s own  home at 2029 Durant Ave., it hosts this event for  all who have an interest in Iranian-Americans and their culture.
• Parents jump with their young ones who look wary of going near the flames.
• Sweethearts jump in tandem.
• Frat boys try to out leap one another in side-by-side races.
• By engaging the non-Persian community in the fire-jumping festival, the organization hopes to allow a glimpse into beautiful Persian traditions and the culture of the Iranian-American community in the US.
• Inside the Persian Center, a traditional altar holds green grass, live goldfish, food and other items representative of spring called the ‘haftseen’ or seven ‘s’s as each item on the table begins with the letter S.
• Persian music, food, crafts, cultural organizations, and children’s activities take place.
• Sponsored by Persian Center, Berkeley Council Member Jessie Arreguin, Presbytery of San Francisco, Hustead’s Towing, and Art in Farsi.
• Persian Center in Berkeley, California is one of a few secular Persian organizations in the United States.

This is a free, family-friendly, non-alcoholic event held outdoors on Durant Avenue.