A new year celebration

The Dubai International Women's Club has a tradition of celebrating festivals of the more than 30 nationalities its members represent. This week, the club will celebrate Nowrooz, the Iranian New Year. All women are welcome to attend the Nowrooz party to be held today at the Sheraton Dubai Hotel and Towers from 9.00am onwards. For invitations contact Fifi Nasrallah on 050-6249693.

Central to Nowrooz celebrations is the beautifully laid-out Haftseen table. "Haft is seven and 'Seen' is the letter 'S' which is considered auspicious; hence the table is decorated with seven things whose names start with the letter 'S'," explains Mariam Behnam. She will give a talk on the history and traditions of Nowrooz.

The Cultural Attaché from the Iranian Embassy in Abu Dhabi has arranged for three bands to play traditional music, as well as a display of books about Iran and photographs depicting the traditional Iranian lifestyle.
A small bazaar will feature carpets, silver, sweets and other Iranian artifacts. The celebrations will be topped with a sumptuous Iranian buffet at the Sheraton's 'Persian Garden' restaurant.