Event in Irvine marks end of Persian New Year

On Sunday the Iranian community in Orange County will mark the end of the Persian New Year with an outdoor festival at Mason Regional Park in Irvine.

Sizdah Bedar is the 13th and final day of the Persian New Year, or Nowruz, and is typically celebrated with an outdoor picnic.

“Traditionally families get together and bring food,” said Asha Alinaghian, one of the coordinators for the event. “It’s a day of coming together.”

According to Alinaghian, the event, which is organized by the Network of Iranian-American Professionals of Orange County, will maintain some traditional rituals, including taking a bunch of grass grown for the occasion, tying it into a knot and throwing it into water for good luck.

The event will also feature two deejays, dancing and barbecues. Between 10,000 and 20,000 people are expected, with many coming from Los Angeles and San Diego to attend.

Alinaghian said the Network of Iranian-American Professionals of Orange County has been organizing Sizdah Bedar celebrations in Irvine for at least the past 15 years, and she remembers attending when she was a girl.

“For me it’s always nostalgic, because every year I go back to the same thing,” she said. “We would walk around the park, people would be dancing, they’d have music, lots and lots of barbecues, and you could see any family member or friend and they’d invite you to sit with them and eat.

“It’s a really joyous occasion where there’s not one person who doesn’t smile.”