On March 25, 2013, 80 Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) students, faculty, staff, and friends gathered in the School cafeteria for a Persian New Year Nowruz Celebration.
The Nowruz celebration was sponsored by the Boston University chapter of the American Student Dental Association. The main organizers of the event were Kaveh Baharvand Ahmadi AS 14 and Hamid Fakhri AS 14, who worked with Assistant Dean of Students Dr. Joe Calabrese, Director of Diversity & Multicultural Affairs Dr. Larry Dunham, and Assistant Director of Student Affairs Erica M. Manczuk.
A celebration of spring, Nowruz—meaning “The New Day” in Persian —marks the first day of the Persian calendar. The occasion symbolizes nature’s renewal and rebirth after the passing of winter.
The GSDM Nowruz celebration featured a traditional Haft-Seen (“the seven ‘S’s”) table, which includes seven items starting with the letter ‘seen’ of the Persian alphabet. Each item signifies a different aspect of the new year. Also featured was an Iranian dance group called the Aftab Dance Group. Persian food was provided by Molana Restaurant in Watertown.