About 40 students gathered at CNC on Wednesday afternoon for the college's first ever celebration of Persian New Year, known as Nowruz.
The event was organized by CNC student Saba Ebadzadsahraei, who said she was motivated to organize the event to combat incorrect perceptions about Iranian culture.
"It's the first time I'm doing this because I'm the only Iranian student in the entire college," she said.
"I want to show them that we have celebrations, we have a different culture, a rich culture."
Ebadzadsahraei said students often know little about Iranian culture, and tend to associate the country only with global conflicts.
She said the Nowruz celebration marks the beginning of spring each year. The roots of the national Iranian holiday date back as far as 3,000 years. It traces its origin to the Persian traditions of Zoroastrianism, the dominant religion in the region prior to the advent of Islam in the 7th century A.D.
As Middle Eastern pop tunes blared out of a nearby amp, students gathered around a table decorated with seven items - barley, wheat germ, dried oleaster fruit, garlic, apples, sumac and vinegar - which together represent the beginning of a new season. Cake was dished out at another table nearby.
Ebadzadsahraei said she first arrived in Prince George as a student after her brother first came as a student at UNBC.
