Posted on 03/19/2007 1:51:47 PM PDT by freedom44
On March 25, the fourth annual Persian parade will begin on 40th Street and Madison Avenue. Organizers say the single-day festival commemorates Noerooz, the Persian New Year of 1386, and its theme will be "Celebrating the Persian-American Community." In a statement, they said: "The 2007 parade is promising to be bigger, better, and more colorful than ever."
That's because it's in New York, where we are free to express our cultural heritage without losing our national identity. Judging from persianparade.org, which shows last year's Iradj Javid parade, I expect to see as many American flags as in tomorrow's Irish-American St. Patrick's Day parade.
I spoke with one of the parade organizers, Iradj Javid, who filled me in on the celebration of Charshambeh-Souri, an Iranian festival dating to at least the early Zoroastrian era, 1,700 years before the common era. It is a prelude to Nowruz, which marks the arrival of spring. To celebrate, bonfires are lit in public places in the hope for enlightenment and happiness throughout the coming year. People leap over the flames, shouting variations of a Persian poem, "Sorkhi-e to az man, Zardie-e man az to," meaning roughly, "Give me your beautiful red color and take back my sickly yellow pallor!"
Mr. Javid told me celebrations are being held in various New Jersey Iranian communities, with parade floats that depict Persian historical events. In Iran, however, Islamic Revolutionary Guards are patrolling the streets to suppress the festival and will arrest anyone starting the fires, an Iranian dissident friend who goes by Babak Iran tells me. .
"New Yorkers who suffered so terribly on 9/11 should mourn the fact that the Persian renaissance's leading cultural strategist, Dr. Frood Fouladvand, is missing and believed murdered by Iranian intelligence,"
(Excerpt) Read more at nysun.com ...
My neighbors two doors down are celebrating this day. The guy's wife is Iranian. I have partied with them before with all of their Iranian friends and once they get a bit of liquor in them they start talking about how they wish that Bush would bomb the hell out of the Mullahs. It's very heart warming to be with Iranians who are pro-Bush.
I guess the mullahs don't like the people being reminded that they once had a great culture before Islam.
"I expect to see as many American flags as in tomorrow's Irish-American St. Patrick's Day parade."
An Islamic minority brandishing American flags? Amazing.
Black-Belt Iranian store clerk kicks butt.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlMzjTwFI80
Bump
Most Iranians here FLED in 1979.
Haha. That was great. Thanks for sharing.
Isn't this the same Iran that was condemning the movie '300' for showing Persians in a bad light?
I think they don't like being reminded that their Persians too. Oh, poor Mullahs, if only you were Arabs then Saudi Arabia and Eqyptwould like you more and invite you to their party
Most Iranian-Americans are well educated people who left Iran 1979 and have a deep rooted hatred for Islam, Mullahs and Democrats. They loathe Jimmy Carter.
No surprise that Iranian-Americans vote 90% Republican (making them the most "Republican" ethinc minority in the USA).
You are 100% right on all counts! My neighbor, Maroo, is one of the Iranians who fled before the Mullahs took over. Guess who her idols were growing up? Elvis Presley and the Beatles. She still gets flustered talking about Elvis!
No Persian Pride for Iran. Just Muslim Misery.
Exactly. I am a symbol of them before you.
Hi what part of Texas are you from?
I am a Persian graduate of STCL in Houston Texas Law.
I am very active in the Republican party.
Glad to know you have such a great American Persian Neighbor.
If it pisses off Ahmaninutjob, and his hick supporters, it has my full blown support.
Yep... *THAT* it appears, was just another steaming load of... taqqiya (Islumic for bovine excrement)...
thye infowarrior
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.