By J. Javid
Berkeley, California

It was my first Sizdah Bedar outting in God knows how many years. Seven, eight? The last one I remember was in the late 80s. I was with my pal Khosrow, his wife Yassaman, their kids and her family. We crammed into two Paykans and drove for an hour towards the east. We found a green spot in Jajrud, surrounded by short, narrow trees, where three or four famillies were sitting on the edges of their least valuable carpets, feasting on Sabzee Polo Mahi.

A few months later, I left Tehran for the States. For good.

After living in New Mexico and New York, with very modest Noruz gatherings with family and friends, I was anxious to see a large Iranian crowd in my new home in northern California's Bay Area. I had been told that I would be seeing thousands of Iranians in Vesona Park in Los Gatos. But I still couldn't believe my eyes. The only word I could think of to describe this Sizdah Bedar was "Qiyaamat".

I walked around for hours taking pictures. Here are a few:

Nima Nikuie ties a knot
True best male dancer
Best male dancer; ladies' choice
Best female dancer. Period
Best dancing couples (1) - (2)
Kabab, kabab
Tea after kabab
Playing cards
Collecting cash for the Ardabil earthquake victims
Young man caught fighting over a girl
Families in the park
Mehrdad Farhang-nia and family
My pals
Shadi Ziaie: Lots of spit
Three generations
The Bandari band
Sohail Kuchulu
Kuchulu's not-so-kuchulu car
Squeezing in. Holding on
Kaveh Nikpour films for local Pars TV station
Volleyball
No place to park
Ariana and her mom