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University of Maryland: Iranian Students' Foundation
| Phone: | 3019154620 |
| Fax: | |
| E-mail: | isfticket@gmail.com |
| URL: | www.isf-maryland.org |
| Country: | United States |
| Address: |
University of Maryland Stamp Student Union Club Office for Iranian Students' Foundation College Park ---- 20742 |
| Fields: | Culture Education |
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The purpose of ISF is to provide members and prospective members the opportunity to meet others with similar interests and backgrounds. Our goal is to keep the rich Persian history and culture alive for both the descendents of that nation and for all interested in the culture.
The purpose of the Iranian Students’ Foundation (ISF) is to provide members and prospective members with the opportunity to meet others with similar interests and backgrounds. Our goal is to keep the rich Persian history and culture alive for both the descendants of Iran and for all those interested. The goal of the group also includes raising campus awareness towards Persian culture, tradition, holidays, and history as well as modern day Iran and issues facing Iranian-Americans. The ISF is a non-religious and non-political entity that was established at the University of Maryland-College Park in 1987. Currently, our active membership consists of over 100 members. In addition, ISF tries to fulfill a service to the Iranian Community at the University of Maryland, and support the Center for the Persian Studies in all of their programs. The ISF holds a general body meeting every Thursday and hold five major cultural events, not only for the students but for the community. Our first event is Mehregan, the celebration of the fall harvest. For the ISF members and the local Persian community, Mehregan is a time for Iranians to come together and celebrate the rich Persian culture. It has become a tradition to fill this evening with decorations, live music, poetry, a Persian dinner and dancing. Shab-e-Yalda, the longest night of the year, is the celebration of the Winter Solstice and our second event. Traditionally, Persians celebrate the beginning of the solar year by spending Shab-e-Yalda with their families sitting around the korsi-a table with a blanket draped over it and a heat lamp beneath-sharing stories, and eating fruit. We try to create this same environment for our guests. This event takes place in a more intimate setting with only 150 guests compared to the hundreds, or thousands that attend the others. The program for this night consists of poem readings in English and Persian, a play performed by members of the ISF, speeches about the significance of Shab-e-Yalda, a Persian dinner, and a traditional Persian dance. The two remaining major events are Chahar Shanbeh Souri, and Nowruz, our largest and most popular events. These two events are part of the Persian New Year celebrations. For over 3000 years, Persian people have been celebrating the events of the Persian New Year including Chahar Shanbeh Souri and Nowruz. Chahar Shanbeh Souri, meaning the Eve of Red Wednesday, is traditionally celebrated on the last Tuesday night before the Persian New Year. Traditionally, children would go from door to door hitting a spoon against a pot in the hopes of a homeowner opening their door and giving them nuts and sweets, the equivalent of our “trick-or-treating”. The nuts and sweets given bode good fortune in the coming year. Additionally, to cleanse yourselves of your sins in the past year, families set up small fires which you jump over while reciting a cleansing expression so you can start anew in the coming year. Today, this celebration is held through out Iran as well as amongst Iranians abroad wishing to bring communities together for a night of celebration, good fortune and absolution. New Year’s Day, called Nowruz meaning new day, is the first day of spring every year. This is by far the most important Persian holiday playing a large role in every Iranians’ life. In the days leading up to the New Year, many preparations take place. One of these preparations is to buy new clothes to wear as the New Year is announced. Inside peoples’ homes, spring cleaning takes place as does the setting of a table known as the “haft seen,” meaning seven seen (a letter in the Persian alphabet giving the sound of an “s”). On this table, you place seven items each starting with the letter “seen” and each symbolizing something special for the start of the New Year. In addition to the seens, eggs and goldfish are placed on the table to symbolize, respectively, fertility and life. During this day, the entire family wears their brand new clothing and stand around the “haft seen” table as the New Year is announced. That night, a traditional New Year meal is prepared, fish with rice prepared with parsley and dill. During the New Year celebration, the older members in the family give the children presents, usually money, as their new year’s gift. For over ten years now, the Iranian Student’s Foundation has been holding these events for the campus and surrounding community growing into the largest Persian events thrown by any Persian organization in the area and colleges nearby. Our Nowruz event, held at the Alumni Center, will be hosting over 500 people. The ISF has created a program packed with live musical performances, poetry readings, speeches, the traditional Persian meal of fish with rice prepared with parsley and dill, and modern and traditional Persian dances. This event gives the Persian community and all those interested in attending an opportunity to come together and spend a night with family and friends in order to learn more about our culture and history. Last year, our Chahar Shanbeh Souri event hosted over 3000 people at the Maryland SoccerPlex. At this event, we serve a Persian sandwich, soup and tea while a live band or DJ plays music to create an enjoyable atmosphere while people are jumping over the fire to absolve their sins. It is a great event for families to attend and enjoy especially since it is free. We have a moonbounce and will be face painting throughout the night to make it a very enjoyable experience for all members of the family. Iranian awareness week is our last major event. It is a week filled with different activities focusing on raising campus awareness about Iran. On the Thursday of that week we hold a “Tour of Persia” on Hornbake Mall. On this day, we set up tables about different aspect of Persian culture so all those passing through Hornbake Mall can learn about Iran and the rich Persian culture. The ISF has become a very large and well-known organization in the Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. area. We at the ISF strive to provide all aspects of Iranian culture for anyone who wants to learn and anyone who wishes to attend by holding these events and having weekly general body meetings.We have begun bringing more lectures dealing with Persian culture to campus and we have poetry readings every Thursday after club meetings. | |