Hundreds attend Nowruz gala in Barrie

Hundreds attend Nowruz gala in Barrie Barrie's Persian community members came together to celebrate to celebrate Nowruz on Saturday.

Saturday, March 20, marked the beginning of Spring, and for Persians worldwide, it also marked Nowruz, the Persian New Year.

As the holiday marked a day of unity and hope for the year to come, on Saturday, Barrie's Persian community members came together to celebrate the historical tradition.

"We celebrate Nowruz for 13 days, and it is the biggest holiday in Persian culture, Nowruz means new day, and it marks the first day of spring," said Samira Rashidian-Zadeh, Barrie Persian Association.

The Nowruz gala took place at the Southshore community centre in Barrie, with the events featuring music, dancing and an assortment of Persian food.

"It's all about celebrating a new day, new life, health and good fortune for the year and celebrating that with our community," said Rashidian-Zadeh.

More than 200 people were in attendance, including Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall and Michael Parsa, MPP For Aurora–Oak Ridges–Richmond Hill, and Ontario's Minister of Children, Community, and Social Services.

"We have such an active Persian community that has been growing immensely over the past number of years, so we just want to make sure that everyone feels welcome in this community," said Nuttall.

More than 300 million people celebrate Nowruz around the world.