April 6, 2016, Washington D.C. – TAA participated in the 2nd Annual Nowruz Celebration at the White House, attended by The first lady, Michelle Obama. The event started with a short stand-up performance by Maz Jobrani, an Iranian-American comedian who introduced Mrs. Obama. Mrs. Obama then thanked the White House Staff for organizing a colorful Nowruz event and welcomed the guests. In her opening remarks, she recognized the strong diversity, culture and traditions the United States has observed through the years. “America is strongest when we recognize our many traditions…and we should cherish the talent and energy and beautiful cultures”, she continued. The program also included performances from Nomad Dancers and Center for Persian Classical Music.
Over 300 million people observe this famous celebration globally and has been done for around 3000 years. The Nowruz Festival, which is tied to the vernal equinox, is shared among several countries, including ethnic groups and communities in the Middle East and Central Asia such as Afghanistan, Albania, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan.
