Iranian Nowruz celebrations in Dhaka

The Iran Cultural Centre in Dhaka and Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) organized a cultural programme on April 6, to celebrate the Iranian Nowruz (Persian New Year). The event, held at the music and dance centre auditorium of BSA, with prime minister's international affairs advisor Dr. Gowher Rizvi present as chief guest. M Hamid, former DG of Bangladesh Television and Professor Dr. Abul Kalam Sarkar, chairman of Dhaka University's department of Persian language and literature were present as chief guests.

A documentary on the Iranian New Year celebrations was shown at the start of the programme, following which students of the Persian language and literature department of Dhaka University staged a play highlighting Nowruz and Bangla Noboborsho. Samir Baul and artistes of BSA also performed songs at the programme.

Nowruz marks the vernal equinox or the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and has been celebrated for over 3,000 years in Western Asia, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Black Sea Basin, and the Balkans.