Persian New Year Celebrated in Stockholm

Celebrations for the Persian New Year, known as Nowruz, were held in Stockholm’s City Hall this year.

[Sima Bina, Singer and Iranian Folk Music Researcher]:
“When people celebrate New Year and Nowruz, it surly will bring them good things and happiness. I hope for health and happiness for all, and also hope for a happy Nowruz for our Iran, and a very green spring for the noble Iranian people.”

Nowruz is a holiday not only for Iranians, but for other groups and nationalities around the Black Sea, in central Asia, the Caucasus Mountains region, the Balkans, and the Middle East to name a few.

[Shima Niyavarani, Actress & Performing Artist]:
“I have really been looking forward to this, because, this is a very special time for us Iranians. And yesterday we were performing in Gutenberg, and today we are performing in Stockholm, and I think this is (a) very important celebration.”

Artists from many countries gathered to celebrate this ancient holiday.

[Ozz Nujen, Famous Swedish Standup Comedian]:
“It’s for everybody, it’s for Kurdish people, it’s for Iranian, it’s for Afghan, Tajiks, and Hindu, and the people that are celebrating Nowruz, and for that we don’t do this as a political festivity today. This is for everybody, so it has to be, it has to be also a festivity that include not exclude people. So, it is about come together and have fun together.”

[Mansour Hosseini, Producer]:
“Nowruz is something for everybody, it’s 21 of March, is the first day of spring, and Nowruz have been celebrated in about four thousand years in the world, and why I shouldn’t celebrate? It is the day of victory, victory day of justice.”

300 million people around the globe observe the holiday. 

NTD News, Stockholm, Sweden.