St Catharine’s Church Gloucester provided a warm and inclusive space for a celebration of renew and new beginnings called Nowruz, or Persian New Year, on 20 March.
Nowruz, meaning ‘new day’ in Persian is traditionally celebrated by people of Iranian, Afghan and central Asian backgrounds and highlights the renewal of harmony in nature, and the triumph of light over darkness. St Catharine’s was keen that particularly those seeking sanctuary from religious persecution and separated from their biological families had a place to celebrate and be together on this special day.
The day began with the baptism of an Iranian lady during the church’s Thursday morning service. From midday onwards, around 30 people gathered to take part in a vibrant Nowruz party. This was organised by the church’s Iranian discipleship group, which meets weekly, and welcomed a diverse group of attendees. Among them included the Farsi Alpha group from St Matthew’s and the Minster Cheltenham, members of St Catharine’s, the Gloucester Mahabba prayer group, GARAS, and a class of English-learners from Adult Education (part of Gloucestershire County Council).
Henrietta Cozens, a cross-cultural outreach worker based at St Catharine’s, said: “The festivities included an initial public welcome by myself and the Revd Jo Pestell of St Catharine’s Gloucester. This was followed by a delicious meal of Zereshke Polo ba Morgh (poached saffron chicken, on a bed of Persian steamed rice, topped with barberries), cooked and served by churchgoers Zahra, Mahnoosh and Rini.
“Then, run by Iranians who attend St Catharine’s, there were two speeches about Nowruz in English and Farsi, led by Iraj and Shahram, a display table (known as ‘Haft Seen’) of relevant cultural objects prepared by Ali and Mahdim some Nowruz-related word-searches and conversation prompts by myself, and finally music and dancing.
“It was good for the church to intentionally put into practice training received on unconscious bias, by giving a space and voice to people whatever their nationality, religion or English level. As we enter the Persian year 1404, (the equivalent of 2025), we hope to continue to value each other by sharing our cultural traditions as well as our faith in Jesus.”
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