Are you ready to celebrate the start of the Persian new year and arrival of spring? Are your kitchen shelves distressingly bare of torshi liteh, nazook and samanoo?
If you answered “yes” to either question, head on down to Oakland for the third annual Nowruz Market, taking place March 8 from noon-4 p.m. at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, near the 12th Street BART station.
Nowruz is an ancient spring equinox bash that’s observed in parts of Asia, the Caucasus, the Black Sea Basin and elsewhere. In the Bay Area, a group of queer-friendly SWANA folks (South-Southwest Asian/North African) have started throwing a yearly festival that’s part delicious food, part crafts like jewelry and tattoos, part political activism but mostly just fun.
“For the third year, we are bringing you a Nowruz celebration in resistance to the powers that seek to capture, separate and control us,” the organizers write on their website. “It’s more important than ever to support artists and culture keepers. We appreciate your support for our artists and chefs, who pull out all the stops every year for this event and pour their love and labor into their work.”
The entry fee is on a sliding scale of $10-$30, cash or Venmo, though no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Masks are required except when eating or drinking.
There are more than two-dozen vendors signed up at the moment. Here’s a list of them, with the food listed first because, you know, food!
By Juthi: haleem (slow-cooked lentil/grain stew)
Shaverdi Torshi: torshi liteh (Persian-style pickled vegetables)
Elikakitchen: pastries
Art of Nazook: nazook sweets (traditional Armenian pastries)
Reyhan Herb Farm: samanoo (sweet pudding made with germinated wheat), seeds, prints
Eating Sahar’s Foods: Persian treats and haft-sin decor
Shirini Bakes: pastries
YAAR: halwa (rich confectionary) and body cream
Yasmeen Abedifard: prints and books
The Color Studio: handpainted silk, mosaic chess boards
Najah AlBoushi: glass art, glass jewelry, trinkets
Top Rami: weaving activity
Absurdistan: linocut prints
Yasi Ceramics: ceramic goods
SanaJoon Metals: jewelry
Kabob Kid: prints, shirts, ceramics
Nikki Behnam: original paintings and prints
Sola Habibi: zines
Ra7aal: tatreez embroidery kits
Najva Designs: ceramic goods
Cozy Drawings: prints and cards
Vash Tattoo: tattoos and prints
Nowruz Candlesticks: tiny brasswork
Aida Curtis: psychotherapy, dream analysis
Fery Khadivi: original paintings
Details: Noon-4 p.m. March 8 at 388 Ninth St., Suite 290, Oakland. Sliding scale entry fee is $10-$30, masks required except when eating; nowruzmarket.com