Nowruz: The Persian New Year

Nowruz - the Persian New Year - is the oldest bank holidays in the world with a history of over 3000 years and is celebrated by over 300 million people in different regions. It means "new day" and marks the beginning of spring. Reason enough to look at Persian culture and highlight some events, two celebrate the Nowruz festival itself, others focus on Persian or Iranian culture.
 

The Persian New Year can be celebrated here:

Under the sign of the magical women

The Lineh Cultural Association celebrates the Nowruz festival with music by two formations and a guest contribution by the curator of the Rietber Museum, Dr Axel Langer. The focus is on extraordinary women of Persian literature. More

Monday, 21 March | 19:30 | Église Réformée Zurichoise, Schanzengasse 25, 8001 Zurich
 

Dancing into the Persian New Year

At Moods, the Persian New Year is celebrated musically: Armenian, Kurdish, Turkish, Arabic and Persian song traditions meet explosive rhythms and pop elements.

Discovering the world of Persian mythology through the eyes of young men

Solène Gün's exhibition "The Reflection of Sands" shows photographs and a video work of young men on their way to adulthood. The works explore Persian mythology and are interwoven with the young men's personal experiences.

Theatre play about language, culture and integration

In the humorous play "Verschtehsch?" an interpreter juggles between Russian, Persian, Tajik and German and thus addresses the challenges of translation and integration. The artistic figure Zarina Tadjibaeva slips into different characters and tells of cultural peculiarities and misunderstandings in everyday life.

Between classical music, electronics and Persian music

The Collegium Novum Zurich presents the programme "Ainsi la nuit" with works by Alireza Farhang, Henri Dutilleux and Helga Arias at the Museum für Gestaltung. The classical string quartet Tak-Sīm expands its sound with live electronics to approach traditional Persian music. With the semi-electronic double bass clarinet CLEX, Helga Arias explores a realm between man and machine in her new work.

Iran: Between Nuclear Ambitions and Protests

Iran is the focus of this course on political and cultural developments in the Middle East. Nuclear ambitions, nationwide protests after the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022, regional influence and challenges in international relations despite Western sanctions are discussed.

Artist Talk: Artistic confrontation with the terror of dictatorial regimes

With ornaments, the artist Parastou Forouhar deals with the terror of dictatorial regimes. In conversation with Susann Wintsch, the activist talks about her work and her relationship with Tehran, where she commemorates her parents, well-known opposition figures, every year and maintains close contact with like-minded people.