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Narges Kashani dances holding the Persian flag during the Persian community\u2019s celebration of Chaharshanbe Suri at the Persian Center in Berkeley.<\/p>\n
Carlos Avila Gonzalez\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n
One by one, people took turns jumping over low flames Tuesday night in the parking lot of the Berkeley Persian Cultural Center, part of a festival of fire celebrated several days ahead of the Persian New Year, Nowruz. The lively atmosphere included children playfully darting through the crowds as adults perused homemade jewelry sold on the street. Families sampled seared kabobs sold from nearby vendors, the woodsmoke fragrant in the air.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This festival was\u00a0Chaharshanbeh Suri, a party held before Nowruz, which began Friday. Each year for the past two decades, thousands of Bay Area Iranian Americans have honored Chaharshanbeh Suri in block-party form on Durant Avenue in Berkeley.<\/p>\n
Families gathered at the Berkeley Persian Cultural Center to celebrate Chaharshanbe Suri<\/p>\n
Carlos Avila Gonzalez<\/p>\n
The holiday is built around a simple ritual: leap over flames, and call for them to burn away the darkness of the old year before the new one arrives. For many Iranian Americans in the Bay Area, the plea this year carried added sadness and yearning for better days amid the U.S. and Israeli war in Iran. Some people said it was also an opportunity to come together to honor the Iranian people\u2019s resilience.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cThis, to me, is bittersweet,\u201d said Sam Mahani, a 35-year-old Pleasant Hill resident, after jumping over three wood-burning logs inside aluminum pans. \u201cHere I am, able to enjoy life and freedom, while friends and family are having a rough time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mahani\u2019s sentiments are echoed by many Iranian Americans who say they have been struggling with complicated and sometimes conflicting emotions as the war escalates.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Many Iranians said they remain in shock after the regime brutally killed thousands of people \u2014 by some estimates up to 30,000 \u2014 who took to the streets in January in anti-government protests.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n In February, Iranians worldwide celebrated after the U.S. and Israel launched\u00a0airstrikes that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iranians felt a surge of hope on Tuesday after Iranian State Media reported that Ali Larijani, a top security chief in the Islamic regime, was also killed.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The Persian Center is lighted with the colors of the Persian flag during the Persian community\u2019s celebration of Chaharshanbe Suri.<\/p>\n Carlos Avila Gonzalez\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n Those who support the war see outside military intervention as the only way to rid the country of a regime that has brutally attacked its own people, but they also feel dread about the destruction of the country and the loss of life.\u00a0<\/p>\n Critics of the war say that President Trump and leaders in Israel don\u2019t have a clear plan and question whether their attempts to remove the regime will be successful and whether the fighting will grow into an even broader regional conflict. The regime so far has survived while striking at neighboring countries and choking off U.S. allies\u2019 oil shipments in the region. But on Tuesday, many people were holding onto hope that the regime would fall.\u00a0<\/p>\n That includes\u00a0Parisa M., a vendor at the Berkeley festival who declined to share her full name due to safety concerns. She was thrilled to hear about Larijani\u2019s death, but said she continues to feel conflicting emotions.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe are hoping on top of this rubble and once this war is over, we can build Iran again and make it glorious the way it was before the Islamic regime took over,\u201d\u00a0Parisa said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n A teacher observes the haft-sin set up to represent aspects of Nowruz or Persian New Year at Woodroe Woods School in San Leandro.<\/p>\n Jessica Christian\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n While thousands of Iranian Americans showed up on Tuesday in Berkeley, other\u00a0Nowruz events have been cancelled due to the ongoing conflict. Nowruz, which marks the first day of spring and the start of 13 days of festivities, is a tradition rooted<\/a> in Zoroastrianism, an ancient religion that predates Christianity and Islam.\u00a0<\/p>\n The\u00a0Pars Equality Center cancelled its annual Nowruz Gala in Burlingame last weekend, saying that given the \u201cpainful events affecting our community \u2026 we felt this is not a time for celebration.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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