UC Merced Dining Services will celebrate the spring equinox and Persian New Year today with its second annual Nowruz event.
Organized by Executive Chef Matt Perez in collaboration with Belinda Braunstein, coordinator of the English Language Institute, lunch will be served at the Pavilion dining center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, March 20. The lunch features traditional Persian dishes crafted with help from volunteer Ph.D. students.
Meal plans, CatDollars, and credit and debit cards will be accepted. For those without a meal plan, lunch costs $12.88.
For over 3,000 years, Nowruz has marked the beginning of spring and a 13-day celebration of the Persian New Year. Rich in symbolism, Nowruz (“new day” in English and pronounced “no-rooz” or “now-rooz”) represents new beginnings, renewal and the strengthening of connections between friends, family and nature.
“It is wonderful that we all celebrate spring, symbolizing nature's regrowth, and Nowruz can be a meaningful reason to do so,” said Farzan ZareAfifi, a Ph.D. candidate in mechanical engineering and one of the volunteers. “I often take this time to visit friends and family I haven’t seen in a while.”
Celebrated by more than 300 million people worldwide, Nowruz traditions include fire-jumping, a ritual meant to cleanse the past year's misfortunes, and the setting of a Haft-Sin table, which displays seven symbolic items that begin with the letter S.
The 13th and final day of Nowruz is spent outdoors, usually camping or picnicking, as being in nature is believed to bring good luck and ward off bad omens associated with the number.
“Nowruz is the most significant celebration for people across multiple Farsi-speaking countries,” said Behnoush Seifinoferest, a volunteer and Ph.D. candidate in biochemistry. “I’m grateful to the university for providing us with a space to experience the joy and warmth of this ancient tradition, even while we’re far from home.”
The menu features traditional recipes such as zereshk polo morgh (barberry rice with saffron chicken), ash reshteh (a Persian noodle soup) and kookoo sabzi (a pan-fried frittata made with eggs, herbs and spices).
“Nowruz is about new beginnings. It’s nice to celebrate life with your loved ones as nature is being reborn in spring,” said Camellia Haghverdian, a volunteer and Ph.D. candidate in sociology
On Wednesday, the volunteers spent the day in the kitchen, working alongside the chefs to prepare for the Nowruz meal. The students' input was essential in making the dishes as authentic as possible.
“In Dining, we feel it is extremely important to have representation of our scholars through the food we serve,” Perez said. “We know that food is nostalgic, and with so many of our scholars being away from home, we want to do what we can to provide them with a little bit of comfort. We may not be able to cook just like home, but with their help and recipes we can sure give it our best.”
Public Information Officer
