Festival celebrates spring

Colorful singing, dancing, and theatrical performances drew over 300 people to IU's 10th annual Navruz Festival Saturday in the Willkie Auditorium.\nNavruz, the ancient Central Asian celebration of spring, was marked in grand style with over two hours of performances. A free buffet of traditional Central Asian dishes was served in the Forest Quad dining room following the show. Cultural exhibits of Navruz handicrafts were also on display.\n"IU is the only major university in the U.S. where Navruz is celebrated annually on such a large scale," said Anar Valiyev, president of the Navruz Student Association, which was responsible for planning the festival. \nSponsored in part by the Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center and Commitment to Assist Student Initiatives, the festival was free and open to the public.\nNavruz, celebrated on the first day of spring, March 21, marks the beginning of the Zoroastrian New Year. The holiday originated in pre-Islamic Persia, and the term "Navruz" translates literally to "new day" in Persian. \nNavruz has been celebrated for over 3,000 years in Central Asian countries like Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey and also the former Soviet republics of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. It is considered the happiest and most ancient of holidays in Central Asia since it marks not only the new year but also the coming of spring and warm weather. \nEach country observes Navruz in unique ways since the cultures and customs have evolved so distinctly in the 3,000 years since the holiday's beginnings. \nIn Iran, for instance, on the last Wednesday of the old year before Navruz, called "Chaha Shambay Sur" day, people jump over a large bonfire chanting, "My coldness to you, oh fire, and your warmth to me." \n"It is very similar to Halloween in the U.S.," said Nasrin Farrokh-Hekmat, who performed two Iranian folk songs at the festival.\nIn Azerbaijan, the holiday is marked with elaborate meals, singing, dancing and even a horseback-riding competition.\nKhwaga Kakar and Palwasha Rahmany, both IU students from Afghanistan, described Navruz celebrations from their country. \n"There is a lot of superstition surrounding Navruz," Kakar said, who left Afghanistan when she was 15. \nChildren are warned to behave and be cheerful on Navruz because superstition holds that whatever you do on Navruz will haunt you for the rest of the year, she said. \n"It's like spring cleaning," Rahmany said, who came to the United States when she was only a year old.\nThe houses and public square are thoroughly cleaned, everyone gets new clothes and there's a huge feast, she said. \nKanykey Muhtarova, a classically trained pianist who performed traditional Kyrgyz music with folk instruments, said coming to the United States made her appreciate her own country's unique instruments for the first time.\nShe said playing traditional instruments from her own country makes her happier than playing the piano here.\nDuring a performance of Azeri songs, a medley of folk songs with an accordion and tambourine, Shahyar Daneshgar set his instruments aside and broke out into an energetic dance, calling on the audience to clap and dance along. \nFor the finale, many of the performers joined onstage and sang a final song together, drawing several audience members out of their seats to dance in the aisles. \nAmid the festive atmosphere, many of the performers paused to recognize the ongoing war with Iraq. Everyone who spoke called for a quick and peaceful resolution. \n"We hope that next year, Navruz will be celebrated in a world of peace and friendship," Valiyev said. \nIU alumnus Dennis O'Brien voiced similar views. \n"I wanted to come not only for the festivities but to show a solidarity with the people of the Middle East and to promote an interest in their culture, especially considering the war going on right now in that region," he said.