Cover story
13 Bedar at Washington Monument
Park, April 4, 1999. Photo by J. Javid
15 Bedar
Or 13 Bedar in Washington DC
Photos by Jahanshah Javid
April 5, 1999
The Iranian
We all know how difficult it is to be an Iranian out of Iran. Take yesterday's
"13 Bedar" in Washington DC, for example. It was celebrated not
on the 13th day of the New Year but on the first convenient weekend. Was
this acceptable to Ahura Mazda? Hope so. It's the thought that counts,
right?
And instead of a park in Tehran or a field on the outskirts of Shiraz
or by the Karun River, you had to spread your sofreh by the Washington
Monument next to a row of American flags. What can you do? Does it matter
where you are? You have to adapt, I guess.
There was plenty of chelo and kabab, some Persian books, boys and girls
wearing Iranian national team T-shirts playing soccer, and a "Persian
dance" performance.
I couldn't help but think that all this was one big excuse, not to observe
some watered-down ancient Persian tradition, but to experience something
deeper: human ties. The most meaningful moments were lovers, friends and
families talking and laughing. Even a simple exchange of glances with the
one you feel closest to was worth a dozen seekhs of juicy kabab or fifty
silly twirls by "Persian dancers".
Year by year our Persian festivities will become less and less Persian.
But we'll always have each other ... GO
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