I recently had the privilege of working with the Persian New Year Festival founders. Over the course of a week, they hosted several events: a fashion show, a musical production, a VIP event, and finally, the Persian New Year Festival, which was held in Scottsdale along the waterfront

As we met with committee members at meetings and interacted with everyone in various ways, I found myself immersed in their culture. Although I understand absolutely zero in their language, Farsi, it was interesting to see how many of them, young and old, speak the language.

I started learning about some traditions surrounding Nowruz, the Persian New Year. Something like a Haftseen, to most, would seem like a compilation of random items that may include a mirror, specific types of flowers, garlic, and apples with bright colors. Yet this piece of art embodies the themes of nature, new beginnings, and the spiritual beliefs of the Persian culture.

One thing that struck me was on the day of the festival.  We had well over 200 people volunteer to help at the event. These were mostly comprised of friends and family within the Persian community.  But even more significant than this was what I witnessed with the young volunteers.  Teenagers and young adults all spoke Farsi. I was very surprised by this.

Let me explain. I believe that what distinguishes us as a species is the diversity based on our ethnicities and the culture that is an integral part of each community. I spent many years working with another ethnic group and have not seen them band together like I have in the Persian community. This isn’t a good or bad thing, right or wrong; however, it is sad to see.

With my own family, I have watched each generation lose a piece of its culture, and sadly, this will never be recaptured. The language is lost. The traditions we grew up with that bonded us as a family will eventually disappear. This will happen across all ethnicities if we do not make the time to teach the next generation.

The Persian community is small when compared to other ethnic communities in Arizona, and yet I have witnessed a bond that the founders of the Persian New Year Festival have been able to tap into and unite them in keeping their culture and traditions alive. They can be an example to other ethnicities in finding ways to teach and share more about their cultures, traditions, and, more importantly, the language that makes them who they are.

I believe we are obligated to teach our children and their children about our past, our culture, and our traditions. If our families immigrated to this land, let’s teach our children and the next generation about where our parents and grandparents came from and the sacrifices they made to create a better life elsewhere, never forgetting about our roots. Teach them the language and ask them to keep these traditions alive with their children.  Doing this will create a bond that cannot be broken and can only strengthen a community.

The Persian New Year Festival is one example of how one community comes together as a unit to help each other and to share within their own community and, more importantly, with the community at large.