14th Annual NIPOC Mehregan Festival - Irvine (September 25-26, 2010)                                                                                                               Congratulations to NIPOC. The Mehrgan Festival was an extremely successful and well organized event.
This Year's Annual Persian Festival of Autumn (Mehregan) was held at the Lakeside Lagoon Park in Irvine. The event was dedicated to the greatest Persian poet Ferdowsi. His Book of Kings (Shahnameh) is widely considered to be a literary masterpiece. It took thirty years to complete. The year 2010 was named the Shahnameh Millennium by UNESCO. The spirit of Shahnameh was celebrated at this family-friendly celebration. The vast majority of the people were positive and friendly. Another intention of the celebration was to showcase Iran's long and glorious history. There was heavy emphasis on the Achaemenid Dynasty of the Persian Empire. A replica of the Cyrus Cylinder and his tomb was displayed. Indeed there were many more reminders of anicent Persia in this festival. It was almost reminiscent of the 2500 year celebration of the Persian Empire. It is a fact that Iranian-Americans like to identify themselves with pre-Islamic Persia.
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