The Cupertino Courier

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Iranian Festival brings Persian þair to the city

By Crystal Lu

The Quinlan Community Center in Cupertino will be the site of the 11th Iranian Arts and Cultural Festival, scheduled from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 23.

The event is titled "Your Wish Is My Command," which alludes to the genie who fulfills his master's wishes in One Thousand and One Nights, a world-famous piece of Middle Eastern literature.

There will be costumed dance, music, poetry and story readings in Farsi and English, arts, crafts, food, demonstrations of Persian wedding customs, and a display of Persian rugs to celebrate Autumn Festival, a traditional holiday for the appreciation of harvest.

"Persian culture is very advanced. Look at a Persian rug. The design is mathematical," said Fariba Nejat, founder of Payvand School and Iranian Federated Women's Club, the two organizations that put on the annual festival.

In Iran, formerly Persia, Autumn Festival is held on the 16th day of the seventh month on the Persian calendar, a solar calendar that starts a new year with the beginning of spring on March 20 or 21. This year's Autumn Festival falls on Oct. 8. It will be celebrated early in Cupertino for the availability of facilities, according to Nejat, who immigrated to the United States with her husband and son in 1983. Nejat founded the two Iranian community organizations in 1995. A working mother in software engineering then, she noticed there was no Iranian flag during the "International Week" at her daughter's school.

Concerned about the negative influence of politics on the image of Iranian Americans, Nejat determined to advocate the beauty of Persian culture, which has survived foreign invasions and political adversaries for about 3,500 years.

The Iranian Arts and Cultural Festival began in 1996, skipped 1997 but has been held annually since 1998.