I LIKE THAT: Food, Frolic and Favour

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Food, Frolic and Favour

I LIKE THAT our two friends, Dianna and Wendy, attended the Baha’i New Year celebration held on Wednesday, March 21, 2012. The quiz at the beginning of the celebration explained its purpose: to visit friends and relatives, celebrate with food and exchange gifts. Other facts about Naw-Ruz include its literal translation of new day, and that it’s an old Iranian celebration marking the start of the Zoroastrian new year.

Kindness permeated the celebration the moment we walked in. The hustle of putting the hall ready to receive friends and family was well underway with volunteers preparing the food tables, coffee and tea, placing live potted plants on tables draped in brightly coloured cloth. To add to the festive feel, there was a flying fish overhead being operated by a sweet young girl.

A good turn was captured by many of the attendees like when a friend asked another if they would like something to drink, or during the meal when plates were prepared for the children, and after we ate when volunteers unobtrusively slid utensils and dishes from the tables. Goodwill was celebrated in the kitchen also while hands dipped in and out of hot water, towels buffed dishes to a shine, and garbage was dealt with as a grateful errand.