A Celebration of Azerbaijan Culture

Norouz, a New Year’s holiday that has been celebrated for centuries at the beginning of spring in Azerbaijan and other countries bordering the Caspian Sea, was marked locally by a gathering at the Reseda Country Club.

“Many ethnic groups in that part of the world celebrate it,” said Bahman Safyari, known to his friends as Ben, who helped organize the gathering Saturday night as one in a long-running series of events for local Azerbaijanis.

The series, begun in 1980, is called Azerbaijan Evi, the House of Azerbaijan. Anyone interested in the culture of the area is invited to attend.

“This House of Azerbaijan welcomes anyone from any ethnic or political background,” Safyari said.

Norouz is one of the oldest nonreligious festivals in the world, dating back about 6,000 years, Safyari said. Dancers, musicians and singers performed in Saturday’s celebration for about 850 people.

The Azerbaijan Evi has helped Safyari, who was born in Tehran, Iran, and now owns a West Los Angeles engineering consulting firm, connect to a region he has never seen. “My grandfather used to talk about the country of Azerbaijan with a lot of passion,” he said.

“This kind of event encourages the younger Azerbaijani people to learn about their culture and be more encouraged to learn the language,” Safyari said.

And, at the Azerbaijan Evi, the music inspires everyone to dance.

“Even though I’ve never been in Azerbaijan, I dance pretty well,” he said.

The Azerbaijan Evi is held about every three months. The group is looking for a permanent site for its gatherings.