Saturday March 21, 2009

I've Been Thinking:

Every once in a while I think it is important to take the time to describe, in detail, certain Islamic traditions in an attempt to understand a culture that is significantly different from and certainly foreign to, our own.

March 20 is the first day of spring, it is the vernal equinox.
Ancient culture embraced this concept. It is the time in which there are equal amounts of day and night.

Iranian culture or better yet, Persian culture, created a holiday around this day filled with tradition, ceremony and activity.
The holiday is called Nowruz and is best translated as "a new day."
This is not a Muslim holiday, it is a holiday that comes into tradition from the Zoroastrians, the dominant pre-Muslim culture in Persia.

Everyone connected with that region celebrates Nowruz.
It is a celebration of a new year, it is the beginning of spring, the beginning of life.
Spring cleaning, bonfires and parties are all celebratory events.

President Barack Obama sent a video message to the Persian people commemorating the day. The message was subtitled in Persian, sent out to select media outlets and put up on YOU TUBE.
Israel's President Shimon Peres sent his own celebratory message to the people of Iran.

Presidents Obama and Peres reached out in the spirit of the day symbolically offering their hands in peace. It was their way of asking Iran to give up the threats and the violence and to invite her to join the community of peace loving nations.

Iran did not respond seriously.
Through a spokesman the Iranians sent a message saying that if the United States is serious, they will atone for decades of offenses done to Iran. The Iranians said that they are open to change and willing to wait and see if any real change occurs.

Happy Nowruz.

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