Iranians Bring Park Alive on Special Day

True, the first day of the season was March 21. But around William R. Mason Regional Park, spring doesn’t really begin until the air is thick with the smoky smells of exotic foods and the

sounds of traditional music that accompany the celebration of an Iranian holiday. Sunday, more than 10,000 people came to the park to observe Sizdeh-Beder.

Although the holiday is rooted in an ancient Persian religion, Sizdeh-Beder is a cultural celebration for Iranians of all faiths. Families and friends gather at parks, beaches and other

outdoor spots to renew relationships, sing, dance and feast.

The holiday has been celebrated at Mason Park for decades, beginning as an informal gathering of friends, and it has grown into the largest Sizdeh-Beder celebration outside Iran.

Last year’s celebration was marred when three Iranian men and two juveniles attacked five non-Iranians, according to police. But police and parks officials called it an aberration from what

is generally a tranquil, family-oriented event. In past years, Sizdeh-Beder has drawn more than 30,000 people, and this year, it coincidentally fell on Easter, another of the park’s busiest

days.

“It’s been very peaceful and very friendly,” said Parker Hancock, the supervising park ranger. “This is a wonderful event.”

Park officials said they discouraged celebrants from coming to the park this year because of the convergence of Sizdeh-Beder and Easter. In addition, the county doesn’t issue permits to park

vendors on the five busiest days of the year, which includes Easter, another factor that could have kept the crowd down.

Sizdeh-Beder, which officially is today, comes 13 days after the Zoroastrian New Year, the first day of spring.

Because the number 13 is seen as unlucky, Persian tradition calls followers outside on this day. “When you come back home, you’re cleansed and you’re fresh,” explained Hamid Alavi of Mission

Viejo.

Alavi’s family--his wife, Soheila; and their daughters, Nasean, 10, and Nina, 4--laid out blankets by the lake in Mason Park. Soheila Alavi had prepared Ash Reshteh--a soup of herbs and

Persian noodles--and their friends were bringing steamed lamb and Baghali--green rice with lima beans.

“Everything’s green,” Soheila Alavi said of the cuisine. “It’s symbolic of spring.”

She said the celebration helps inject Iranian culture into her daughters’ lives.

Another woman, Farzaneh, who didn’t want her last name used, said her son Arash came to the park hours earlier than the rest of the family. “He couldn’t sleep last night--he was so excited,”

she said.

Nearby, Bibiha Hamidi pushed her nearly year-old son around in a stroller. The Afghani woman, who wore a lime green punjabi--a flowing shirt that almost reaches the knees and matching

pants--and scarf tied around her head, said she comes to Mason Park every year to enjoy time with her family and good food.

Although the holiday is primarily Iranian, other Middle Easterners, such as Iraqi Kurds, celebrate it.

Single adults also use the gathering to look for romance. Folklore says single women who tie a knot in a strand of grass on this day will not be alone by next year’s Sizdeh-Beder.

“Young people see if they see anyone they like,” Soheila Alavi said. “They find dates.”

Los Angeles residents Parisa Pejman, 18, and Marjam Tehrani, 22, couldn’t find grass long enough to tie into a knot. With platform shoes and perfectly made-up faces, the cousins walked

around the lake, carrying sprigs of white flowers and scanning the clusters of young men.

“It’s a traditional gathering, but I’m mostly here for the guys,” Tehrani said.