Harvard Affiliates Celebrate Nowruz at Lowell House Event

Approximately 260 Harvard students and local residents gathered in Lowell House Saturday night to celebrate Nowruz, the first day of the Iranian New Year.

The event — which featured music, food, performances, and various cultural booths — was jointly organized by the Society of Arab Students, Kurdish Association, Students for Uyghur Solidarity, Central Asian Student Association, Iranian Student Association, and Afghan Student Association.

Nowruz, which is set to take place the week starting March 17 — on the astronomical first day of spring — is based on the Iranian Solar Hijri calendar.

Behruz Mahmudov ’26, a member of the Central Asian Students Association and a co-organizer of the celebration, said that the event was held for “our new year, which we celebrate in spring.”

“We believe that the new year comes as the trees blossom, especially the cherry blossoms,” Mahmudov said. “It’s very popular back home, and as those bloom, it’s kind of like a big sign that a new year is a new beginning.”

The celebration featured a variety of dishes and cultural booths from different Central Asian cultures.

Jennet B. Hojanazarova, a first-year Ph.D. student from Turkmenistan working in a Harvard Medical School lab, ran a booth displaying rugs made by her sister.

Hojanazarova said she enjoyed “sharing my culture with my U.S. friends.”

“Turkmens are very well known for living a nomadic lifestyle and having the most beautiful rugs in all of Central Asia, so it means a lot to me getting to present that beauty to my friends here in the U.S.,” she said.

Many attendees highlighted the importance of the event in uniting Central Asian students, affiliates, and local residents.

Alper T. Rozy, a saxophone player at the event, said that “if you find a group, it’s easier to connect then, because the community is so small here.”

“If you’re just here, without knowing anyone, it’s very hard to find other Central Asians,” Rozy added.

Aidin R. Kamali ’25 — who hosted an Iranian table at the event showcasing “the Haft-Sin, which is the traditional setup you make for Nowruz in your home in Iran” — spoke about the joy of sharing his culture during the event.

“Most of the people here aren’t Iranian. So it’s fun to show off a little bit of this culture — of our culture — to the rest of the people,” Kamali said.

“I’m excited that they brought so many people out,” Kamali added. “It’s also refreshing to have a lot of people from outside of Harvard come in to celebrate with everybody.”

—Staff writer Samantha D. Wu can be reached at samantha.wu@thecrimson.com.

—Staff writer Summer Z. Sun can be reached at summer.sun@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @summerzsun.