Wednesday, March 16, 2022 | 7:30 PM | NIB, Top Floor, Academic Block, LUMS
Jashn-i Nowruz: Celebrating the Persian New Year Festival
Curator: Dr. Fatima Fayyaz
Guest Speaker: Mr. Jafar Ronas
In 2022 GCLL welcomed spring by hosting Jashn-i Nowruz at LUMS in collaboration with the Iranian Cultural Institute, Khana-e-Farhang. This grand festival attracted a large number of people and introduced them to the Nowruz tradition that used to be an integral part of Lahore’s cultural life until a few decades ago. The distinguished guests included Syed Babar Ali (the Founding Pro-Chancellor LUMS), Mr. Jafar Ronas (DG Iranian Cultural Institute), Dr. Ali Khan (Dean MGSHSS)
The Nowruz essentails, the Sofra-ye Haft Sīn, a dining cloth laid out to offer seven items (or more), each starting with س or ‘S,’ carrying a symbolic significance was displayed and a live egg-painting corner was set up to introduce these traditional practices to the guests. The venue was enlivened with a presentation of exquisite Iranian handicrafts, a collection of beautifully designed Persian books and an exhibition of photo-posters featuring Persian epigraphs in the region, all lent by the Iranian Cultural Institute. The festival also hosted the first-ever performance by Shah Abdullah Alamee’s band that added luster to the event with a mix of their original and traditional Persian melodies.
