Through understanding my own culture in depth it has made me recognize that cultures have so many intimate details within them. It has taken me so long to fully understand the history behind the traditions my family has always engaged in as people of Iranian background. As a global leader this has added to me as I know very well that cultures have so much behind them. There is no possible way to understand a culture fully if you are not patient. You must also recognize that cultures change. My cousins that are my age that still live in Iran are so different than our parents generation. My understanding of Iranian culture has shown me that complexity is beautiful and in order to respect diversity we must be willing to remain infinitely curious about those others in general. This creates a sense of empathy which is significant to me in terms of leadership methods.
UNC Persian Norooz Celebration 2018
Persian New Year is a time of year where my family celebrates through attending such events. At this particular event there were live performances that involved dancing, singing, and traditional Persian music. Also on display was a haft seen table. This table has seven items in it traditional and they all symbolize something different in relation to the New Year that is coming. All of these items start with the letter “seen” or s. “Haft” means seven so the name means the seven s’s. There is a picture below of what this set up looks like exactly along with a list explaining what each symbolizes.
1. Somagh (sumac) : symbolizes the sun
2. Serkeh (vinegar): symbolizes age and patience
3. Senjed (dried fruit from lotus tree): symbolizes love
4. Samanoo (sweet pudding): symbolizes affluence
5. Sabzeh (sprouts): symbolizes rebirth
6. Sib (apple): symbolizes health and beauty
7. Sir (garlic): symbolizes medicine
