Welcome to 1388!

If you always thought this was the year 2009, think again! On Saturday, Jacobs University's Persian Society welcomed the community into the year 1388. Krupp College was proud to host the Norouz - or Persian New Year - celebrations.

Organised by a group of graduate students, mainly from Iran, the evening was both informative and fun. The event kicked off in a true Iranian manner: with a delay. As the organisers put it: "Iran has a history of 2000 or 3000 years. It also has a delay of 2 or 3 hours". However, the audience gladly waited while watching some Persian music videos, and their patience was rewarded.

A short theatre play introduced everyone to Norouz traditions, starting with "shaking the house" (cleaning your home so thoroughly that even the last bit of dust gets shaken away), the symbolism of various decorative items and Iranian poetry. Spiced up with some irony, the play was great fun to watch. However, the crowd favourite must have been the musicians who played traditional drums and other instruments. Combined with some beautiful dances, one could really dream away.

After the formal programme, the students served up some amazing Persian food. While the guests were eating, the organisers prepared for the last part of the tradition: fire jumping. Three fires were lit on Krupp terrace over which everyone had to jump. That is a symbol for burning your worries and taking with you the fire's energy. The tradition really calls for seven fires, but three proved sufficient - everyone simply had seven goes.

The evening was rounded off with some more dancing to traditional and modern Persian music. Krupp College would like to thank the organisers for putting together such a fantastic event. We are proud to have hosted Jacobs University's first ever Norouz celebrations and are already looking forward to next year's celebrations!