The Pierce College Multicultural Center hosted an event to celebrate and learn about Nowruz on Thursday, March 20. Pierce Multicultural Center Coordinator Tatevik Melkumyan collaborated with Student Services Assistant Nazanin Bahrampour and the Persian Student Association to make this event happen.
Nowruz is the Persian New Year that occurs simultaneously with the first day of spring. It represents the blooming of new beginnings and has been celebrated for more than 3,000 years.
“Now, Nowruz has become a part of everyone, and it’s celebrated by everyone here,” Bahrampour said. “And the Persian culture appears to be very, very rich. It has a very rich culture and history.”
The Multicultural Center has hosted many cultural events to celebrate Pierce’s students and their backgrounds since it opened in 2023. Setting up the Nowruz celebration came with a lot of communication with the organizers. Melkumyan said that this year she decided to look for someone to present and talk about the event.
“We just communicated with each other. We figured out what the students were going to bring, what she [Bahrampour] was going to bring, so we can make sure we have everything that we need,” Melkumyan said.
The Persian Student Association provided a slideshow consisting of information about the origins and history of Nowruz. Bahrampour brought Persian pastries for attendees to eat after the presentation. Bahrampour hopes that “next year we can have a much bigger event for Nowruz on campus in a way that’s even better organized, with more activities, with having food or even a nice party to celebrate.”
Pierce college student Asia Martyenko attended the event with her mom and shared what the Persian community represents.
“I think the Persian community is so friendly,” Martyenko said.
Bahrampur also shared some highlights of the Persian community as well, adding, “Persians love to celebrate their traditions. They like to pass it on to their children and other generations.”
The multicultural center displayed a Haft-Sin, which is a table that is decorated with seven symbolic items, uniquely and individually related to the family or person. Haft-Sins are decorated with what is called the Seven S’s.
These included Sabzeh (sprouted greens), which represent rebirth. Sib (apple) represents beauty, rejuvenation and health. Senjed (dried oleaster) symbolizes love. Seer (garlic) symbolizations medicine and protection. Somāq (sumac) represents sunrise and patience. Serkeh (vinegar) is for wisdom and aging. Samanu (sweet pudding) is power and strength.
A popular Nowruz dish is Reshteh Polo, which is a traditional rice mixed with noodles dish in the Persian community.
According to Bahrampour, in Persian culture and through old traditions, noodles symbolize something greater. The dish is made with noodles to represent what the new year has to offer and how to approach it, “which means you have to find your path. You have to find your way.”
The Persian community is a tight knit one and Nowruz is a way they come together to celebrate. “It’s important to not forget those roots but continue the customs, the traditions of the culture,” Bahrampour said.
A Haft-Sin table is an arrangement of items displayed during Nowruz. The Multicultural Center hosted a Nowruz (Persian New Year) event at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. on March 20, 2025. Photo by Gelareh Behad.
