The Iranian Student Association celebrated the Iranian New Year, "Noe Rooz" or "New Day," with traditional Iranian dance, fruits representing a new harvest and national songs.

The "New Day" marks the beginning of spring and new life. Saturday night's Noe Rooz New Year's party was celebrated in HUB Heritage Hall with traditional Persian art, food, music and dance.

Iranian Student Association (ISA) member Samira Khalili said there were about 210 guests for the celebration, about half of whom were Iranian. Many attending were students, professors and advisers interested in the holiday, Khalili said.

"This is the biggest celebration we hold at Penn State," said Aria Pezeshk, ISA secretary. "This event is important because we want to correct any misconceptions about Iran. There is a different view to the story given by the media, and we want to let people know who we are and what our life is like."

The celebration began with the symbolic Noe Rooz character, Haji Firooz, entering the party.

"The Haji Firooz is dressed in red and represents the coming of spring. He dances, sings and gives gifts to the children," Khalili said.

A presentation followed describing the rituals and traditions of Noe Rooz.

"Most Americans don't know much about Middle Eastern countries, so we try to give first-hand information about the culture and the people," said Armin Ataei, ISA vice president.

Guests were served a traditional Persian meal of Ghormeh Sabzi, a stew of parsley, scallions and beef accompanied with white rice.

The celebration included musical performances by Iranian pop singer Saeed Mohamadi and Persian folkloric dance by the Ava Dance Group.

"Our main goal is to introduce our culture to the State College community. Every year we try to invite more Iranians and add more features to the program," Khalili said. "People who came to the event became acquainted with our culture and tradition. They see another side of Iran."