This three hour virtual workshop will teach you about the traditions of Nowruz, as well as the designs and visual styles of Persian culture. After the workshop, you will also get a set of 10 greeting cards of your own design for you to send out wishing نوروز مبارک (A happy Nowruz)!

Hosted by Parisa Tashakori, professor in the department of Advertising, Public Relations & Media Design, University of CO, Boulder. With over twenty years in the field, Parisa has worked with ad agencies, publishers, art centers, municipalities, and festivals around the world, and has done visual branding for exhibitions, events, foundations, and over two dozen companies. Although she have used my expertise in a variety of industries, her passion is work within art and culture, as well as socially and environmentally focused projects.

Persian New Year, نوروز (Nowruz, pronounced now-rooz) in Farsi and meaning new day in English, celebrates a fresh start and new beginning. Falling on the first day of spring sometime between March 19th and 22nd, also known as the vernal equinox, this Persian holiday dates back to the ancient Persian empire of 3000 years ago. نوروز (Nowruz) is rooted in the ancient Persian religion of Zoroastrianism which predates both Christianity and Islam. In Zoroastrianism, fire and water are considered symbols of purity and are consistent themes in the celebration of the holiday. This ritual isn’t bound to the borders of Iran — you can find نوروز (Nowruz) traditions across the span of the old Persian empire. Reaching from modern-day Iran to Afghanistan, and even within Turkey and India. The heritage of this Persian holiday of renewal and reflection is recognized in many Arab diasporas. When the day and the night are the same lengths, at the exact time of the equinox, the نوروز (Nowruz) celebrations begin!