Nowruz ( نوروز [noːˈɾuːz]) is the Iranian or Persian New Year celebrated by various ethnic groups worldwide that started as a Zorastrian celebration. It is a festival based on the Iranian Solar Hijri calendar, on the spring equinox—on or around 21st March on the Gregorian calendar. Read more here.
Last year, The Oak Church in Leeds hosted a ‘Nowruz’ party for displaced Farsi speaking people in their local community. They share an account of the party below.
You can find more resources on serving Farsi speaking people in your local community by joining the Welcome Churches network. Check out their resources here.
Have you hosted a Nowruz party or been part of a Nowruz celebration? We would love to hear about your experiences. Get in touch with us and tell us what you remember.
At The Oak Church in Leeds, we are developing a Nations team with individuals who are either from different nations or have a heart for other nations.
The aims of this team are to celebrate other cultures with passion and energy, to ensure that our church is a welcoming, warm and hospitable place where everyone feels comfortable to find home, and finally, to seek God to reach out to others in our community.
Last spring, we held a fantastic Iranian Nowruz celebration with members of our gathering, our Nations team, and local Iranian people. Negar, one of our members, kindly and wonderfully hosted the event, with a traditional Iranian meal and a special celebration.
Nowruz is the Persian New Year and is celebrated by people of Iranian descent all over the world. We had the most amazing feast of lamb, rice, and slow cooked aubergines. We learned about the traditional Nowruz table and its contents.
Pooria shared with us his experience of growing up in Iran and what this celebration meant to him. We then prayed for Iran and its people. After the meal, the Iranian dancing commenced with music, fun and laughter. The gathering was a beautiful mix of different cultures, flavours, colours and languages. There was such freedom in the room. People laughed, had fun, and ate together.
It was a truly special time, and it reminded us of the importance of embracing different cultures and learning from one another.
We plan to hold an African ‘carnival style’ celebration in the near future, and we cannot wait to experience more diverse and fun celebrations together as a community, including another Nowruz festival this year.
Do look out for future events, we send booking links out that tend to book up fast, but we warmly welcome you to our next one!
If you have a heart for another country or are interested in another culture, we would love to chat with you or welcome you on to our team. Get in touch here.
