Persian Bazaar in Rancho Palos Verdes

Dear PK readers,

I have some very exciting news to share with everyone.  Tonight I was invited to a very fun evening with a few lovely Persian Ladies who are members of The Iranian American Society in Palos Verdes.  For the past few nights these ladies have been hard at work gearing up for their “Annual Norooz Bazaar” which will take place on March 14th and 15th in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA.

For the past few night these ladies have been making jar after jar of Persian Style vegetable and eggplant pickles. These homemade delicacies will be available for sale at the Bazaar and the proceeds will go to charity.

I was very honored to have been invited to participate and help out.  I enjoyed myself very much chatting away with the ladies and sharing some hearty laughs.  I  helped out with beautifying the jars as seen in these pictures.

So if you live in the area please be sure to stop by and do a little shopping.  There will be gift baskets, beautiful spring bouquets, and seasonal fresh flowers.  Additionally, there will be entertainment, door prizes, raffle tickets, and a silent auction.

When: March 14th  & 15th 2009
11am to 5pm

Where: Ridgecrest Intermediate School
28915 Northbay Road
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275

For more information please call: 310.529.7272

Read Full Post »

Happy Sepandarmazgan

I received an email about today being the day of Sepandarmazgan.  I don’t think I had ever heard of the existence or celebration of this day before. I am copying and pasting the narrative (with some minor edits as some parts of the original did not make much sense as it looked like the info came from various places) that came with the email. This is really cool! Enjoy!

Sepandarmazgan is the celebration day of Love, Friendship and Earth in ancient Persian culture.

According to Iranian tradition, the day of Sepandarmazgan was held in the Great Persian Empire in the 20th century BC .  This day is registered on Bahman 29th in the Iranian Calendar, only 3 days After Valentine.

Persians have a rich culture with many great feasts based on natural occasions that have been mixed up with happiness &  joy.

In the feast of Sepandarmazgan, Earth was worshiped and women venerated. On this day, Women and girls sat on the throne and men and boys had to obey them and bring them presents and gifts. In this way, men were reminded to acclaim and respect women.

Sepandarmaz is another name for mainyu (earth) meaning Holy, Humble & Passionate.

Also Sepandarmaz is Earth Guardian Angel. It is the symbol of humbleness, it means modest toward the entire creation. These are the qualities attributed to Earth that spreads beneath our feet, thus the symbol of modesty and love. As human beings, there are creatures that we find unpleasant and repulsive, but Earth is not like us. She embraces all creatures the same and loves them the same; like a mother who loves all children alike, even when they are ugly. In our ancient culture, mother is symbolized by sepandarmaz or earth. Have you ever seen a Love more sacred than Mother’s Love to children?

Read Full Post »