As spring is upon us and the warmth of the sun begins to melt away the snow, the change of season can feel like the dawn of a new year — for many, it is.
As Nowruz (Persian new year) falls on the first day of spring (usually March 21), the Barrie Persian Association is welcoming everyone to celebrate at their annual bazaar on March 15 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Bradford and District Memorial Community Centre (125 Simcoe Rd.).
That’s set to include traditional performances, dances, a dance competition, traditional live music, a DJ and presentations from vendors who are planned to offer a variety of different items including spices, books, rugs, jewellery, crafts, candles, and henna tattoos, plus a selection of Persian, Afghan and Mediterranean meals and pastries — all of which are expected to be halal with a cafeteria area for guests to sit and enjoy meals together.
“We want to celebrate our culture, promote our culture and educate people about our culture in the community,” Samira Rashidian-Zadeh, the group's founder and president said. “The beauty is unity and diversity.”
She explained that the event is for all Farsi-speaking cultures, including those from Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and elsewhere, but also for non-Farsi-speaking people, giving them a chance to experience one of the culture’s biggest holiday celebrations.
The group is also participating in the County of Simcoe’s #ITSTARTS campaign, which promotes diversity and inclusion, meaning there will by plenty of opportunities for vendors and visitors to take photos.
New for this year, the association is also joining the Persian Awards who will be hosting online broadcasts of celebrations from all over the world.
“I’m going to be hosting live from the bazaar and joined with them,” Rashidian-Zadeh said. “People all over the world are going to see us live on Instagram.”
While this is the association’s third Nowruz celebration in town since 2023, and the second to include a bazaar, it’s the first to be held at the community centre as the event has outgrown the Zima room at the library.
That said, the library is still hosting the traditional haft seen (meaning seven ‘S’) display until the end of the month.
This traditional holiday decoration includes seven items that begin with the letter ‘S’ and have a special meaning related to the new year. For this year, the group included:
- apple (sib) for love
- traditional greenery (sabzeh) for beauty
- garlic (sir) for affluence
- Persian sumac (somogh) for patience and old age
- sweet pudding (samanoo) for growth and rebirth
- vinegar (serkeh) for the sunrise
- coins (sakeh) for wealth
Rashidian-Zadeh explained some people also add a mirror, candles, flowers or sweets, and their display also includes goldfish, eggs and senjed, a dried lotus fruit which can also symbolize love.
All of the items included in their haft seen, are also planned to be available in the bazaar, so people can purchase them locally to create their own display without needing to travel all the way to Toronto or other locations.
After founding the group in 2020, Rashidian-Zadeh said they began hosting the Nowruz celebrations at the Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library in 2023 as data from Statistics Canada and the county’s Local Immigration Partnership showed the majority of the county’s Farsi speakers are in Bradford.
March has been officially recognized as Persian Heritage Month in Ontario since the Persian Heritage Month Act received royal assent on June 3, 2021.
Rashidian-Zadeh encouraged everyone to come out and see the local bazaar for themselves in the hopes that they find it fun and interesting.
There is no cost or registration required, but guests are asked to bring a non-perishable food item for Bradford’s Helping Hand Food Bank.
A table is also planned to sell flowers to help raise funds for the women’s cancer department at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre in Barrie. Those are also expected to be available until the end of the month.
The association is a registered not-for-profit organization founded and led by Canadian-Persian leaders in Simcoe County to develop and offer events and services to the community. The Nowruz celebration is being offered in collaboration with the town’s diversity equity and inclusion advisory committee and BWG Diversity Action Group.
While some vendors may accept payment by cards or e-transfers, guests are encouraged to bring cash.
For more information about the event or the fundraiser, visit the association website or email [email protected].