Premier John Horgan stopped in North Vancouver Monday to mark Nowruz, the new year celebration recognized by many Persian, Kurdish, Baha’i, Ismaili and Afghani people.
The event, hosted at The Polygon in Lower Lonsdale, was supposed to become an annual visit starting in 2020, but was cancelled due to COVID-19.
Horgan expressed gratitude to have everyone physically together again.
“It has been two tumultuous years, without any doubt, but what better time than Nowruz to come together to celebrate our commonality and celebrate our diversity at the same time,” Horgan said. “As we look back on COVID, I can’t think of a better time than Nowruz to cleanse the past and embrace and celebrate the future.”
Horgan shared an anecdote about his first time attending Chaharshanbeh Suri fire jumping festival in Ambleside about six years ago and asking organizers not to publish a photo of him jumping over the flames because he was worried his political opposition would seize the image and misuse it for mischief. The picture hangs in his office today and the B.C. Legislature has since added a haft-seen table, he said.
The event was emceed by North Vancouver-Seymour MLA Susie Chant. North Vancouver-Lonsdale MLA Bowinn Ma delivered a greeting and introduction for the gathered dignitaries, about 60 seconds long, entirely in Farsi, the most common non-English language spoken on the North Shore, according to the last census.
Farid Rohani, honourary colonel in the British Columbia regiment and Baha’I community leader, emphasized the something-for-everyone nature of the spring rite.
“It is one of the oldest new year celebrations around the world and, most of all, it is secular. It doesn’t belong to any one group. It belongs to all,” he said. “Iran, in my opinion, was the country that gave the world diversity. We come here, many of us by choice, many of us forced, and we come to the best place that welcomes us and allows us to add to that diversity that we’re so blessed to have here.”
Horgan also paid tribute to the families who lost loved ones on Flight PS752, which was shot down in Tehran by Iran’s military in January 2020, killing 176 people. At least seven were North Shore residents.
Beheshteh Rezapour, whose daughter Bahareh Karami was among the victims, thanked Horgan for celebrating with them.
“It means a lot to us. Most of the victims were Canadian citizens, permanent residents and students, and Canada was their new home. We remember them,” she said, adding a vow to continue seeking justice in their names. “I know Bahareh and other victims are looking down on us right now and expecting us to start Nowruz in our new adopted home of British Columbia with hope for a brighter future.”
