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celebrating chaharshanbe suri in san diego

March 13, 2013

Shahs of Sunset is about as accurate as Asa’s idea for diamond water is brilliant. That is to say, it is not. But what we can glean from the Bravo series is that there are a heck of a lot of Iranians in California — the second largest population in the U.S. actually. And while Los Angeles — or Tehrangeles, if you will — is the epicenter, San Diego boasts a decent-size community, which now includes Eaman (and me by default). As we approach Persian New Year next week, there are a bunch of events to usher in the upcoming holiday, and last night we kicked things off with Chaharshanbe Suri at NTC Park in Liberty Station.

The holiday, which translates to Wednesday Feast, is celebrated on the last Wednesday of the Persian calendar — a.k.a. the last Wednesday before the start of spring — and represents a cleansing before the new year. The goal is to wash away any negative energy and purify yourself by jumping over a bonfire multiple times, while singing in Farsi, “My sickly yellow paleness is yours, your fiery red color is mine.” It’s a more poetic way of asking for warmth, wellness and a fresh start.

So what did that mean for us on a misty San Diego night?

Well in our rendition, we toured the park, watched adorable families eat kabobs and ash reshteh (a vegetarian bean/lentil soup and one of my favorite Persian dishes) from food vendors, stumbled upon a hilarious old man who donned a head scarf and danced to the Persian musical stylings of DJ Julius. Of course, we had our own little cleansing ceremony, too. Fires aren’t permitted at the park, but one genius woman pulled up a fire gif of some sort on her iPhone and laid it on the ground so a group of us could partake in the ceremony 2.0-style.

Take a look at what it means to celebrate Chaharshanbe Suri in San Diego:

2 thoughts on “celebrating chaharshanbe suri in san diego

  1. Niti

    Wow, very different from last year’s celebration, huh? I can’t believe it’s been about a year. That Persian dinner was so delicious!

    Reply
    1. Archana Post author

      This is actually a holiday just before the new year celebrations, but it’s crazy that our big potluck was almost a year ago! We keep telling people how we had this awesome Persian dinner with awesome people last year!! Miss you, Niti xo

      Reply

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