Written by: Albert Terc
Photos by: Albert Terc
Thousands of people crowded the parade route on Madison Avenue for the return of the Persian Day Parade. The parade celebrates Nowruz, the Persian New Year and also coincides with Spring equinox. Many of the dancers wore bright colors to signify the return of life to the land as winter leaves and spring arrives. Persia refers to a region in the Middle East with several countries with the main one being Iran. Several colorful floats had recreations of important landmarks of that area. Traditional characters for Nowruz like Haji Firuz got the celebration kicked off. A perennial favorite of the parade is a group that always gets lots of cheers from the crowd. The Bahar Dance Ensemble showed off their moves to the crowd.
The Persian Parade celebrates a rich history of culture and contribution to NYC and America. Several floats were dedicated to Zoroastrianism, a pre-Islamic religion that has likely influenced Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. I have always been drawn the universal theme of goodness these floats display. There was more dancing and a festive feel all throughout the parade route. A group of traditional dancers closed out the parade. It was great to see the Persians back in this years parade season. And one of the best parts is after the parade was some delicious Ash Reshteh was being served up by the popular Ravegh Persian Grill restaurant. Deeeelicious.
NYC Parade Life 