Glorious Celebration

The late Persian singer, Farhad, reminisces about the events of Naw-Ruz, and the anticipation of the new year that help him get through the winter. He says, "بوی عیدی بوی توت بوی کاغذ رنگی ..." I shuffled through my memories as we sat by the ornate, symbolic Naw-Ruz spread known as the Haft-Sin along with the Saririans:














Then in the evening, we went to the celebration of Naw-Ruz, hosted by the Baha'is of Montreal at the Holiday Inn. Nearly a thousand diverse people, including French Canadians, Haitians, Arabs, and Persians would simply greet you with "Happy Naw-Ruz!" We listened in amazement as a fiddler named Marie Claire took our breath with her masterful rendition of Acadian folk music, followed by another flawless Jazz musician. Then came the dance, which was as diverse as the audience. What a night!