Meaning ‘new day’ in Persian, ’Nowruz’ marks the arrival of spring in the northern hemisphere and the beginning of the Persian New Year.
Celebrated for over 3,000 years, ‘Nowruz’ has deep cultural and historical roots in various communities, particularly in the Middle East, Central Asia and parts of Southeast Europe.
The event is celebrated by millions who observe the holiday by welcoming in a new season of life and wishing one another good luck in the year ahead.
With the council celebration kicking off on Merrylands Road between Treves Street and Memorial Avenue, Merrylands, from 7-10pm, attendees can enjoy delicious cuisine, market and community stalls, and cultural performances on the main stage including famous Persian DJ Allen and world-renowned Merrylands performers who comprise the Kabul Birds Band along with their special guest Fred Smith, the former Australian Ambassador to Afghanistan.
Singer Ravy Qasimi says the band is named for Kabul, where all the performers hail from, and ‘Birds’ is a nod to the fact they’ve been flying everywhere in the world to bring the rich musical traditions of Afghanistan to life.
“So it’s a symbolic name and we specialise in mostly traditional but some modern music that’s Persian, Afghan, Hazarigi and Pashtu,” he said.
“We performed at last year’s ‘Nowruz’ here and in Melbourne and have a strong following around Australia.
“We know what people like to hear and we are looking forward to having a lot of fun this Saturday night, it’s going to be an amazing celebration.”
More info: cumberland.nsw.gov.au.
