4 Shanbe Suri vor Nowruz – A New Beginning

Right now, we are coming together!
Right now, we are dancing!

At a time when war is ravaging Iran and the Middle East, and people are fearing for their safety, dignity and future, we are consciously choosing each other.

Against fear.
Against silence.
Against forgetting. 

Shortly before Nowruz, we celebrate Chãhãrshanbe Suri – a Festival of Fire that originated in pre-Islamic Zoroastrian rituals in the Persian cultural sphere. Fire is not used here as decoration, but as a symbol: a medium of transformation, purification and transition.

Traditionally, Chãhãrshanbe Suri – چهارشنبه‌سوری – marks a moment of transition. The old is not suppressed, but consciously guided through the fire; the new emerges from light, warmth and continuous movement. We understand this logic of transition not as a reconstruction of a ritual, but as a contemporary practice.

Against the backdrop of the current situation in Iran, this idea takes on particular urgency. Hope is not treated here as an abstract promise, but as an action – as something that must be shared, defended and constantly recreated.

The evening spans a space between memory and the present.

We welcome Kurdish-Zazaki musician Maviş Güneşer and Iranian percussionist Kimia Bani, well-known for their dedication to combining Eastern and Western musical traditions and actively engaging with political, feminist and gender minority bands.

Next up on stage is the wonderful MADANII, who moves confidently between genres and leaves fixed classifications behind. Her artistic vision is deeply rooted in Persian culture. Rhythms, languages, political experiences and musical and visual forms come together to create a multi-layered, independent mosaic of vocals and music.

After many years, dancer and choreographer Kaveh Ghaemi and Modjgan Hashemian share the stage of the Grüner Salon again. Their short performance asks: What does movement mean in times of powerlessness?

Charshanbe Soori has always been a festival of transition –
of letting go,
of cleansing,
of new beginnings.

We do not celebrate because we see nothing.
We celebrate because we see everything.

The war. The fear. The greed. The power. The injustice.
But also the people who do not give up their culture, their community and their hope – in Iran, in Kurdistan, and everywhere where people believe in a future.

That is why we light the fire in front of the Green Salon.
That is why we make music and dance.
That is why we come together. 

Not out of naivety.
But out of conviction. 

Dancing is not an escape.
Dancing is a stance.

Admission is at 7 p.m.

This is united salon @gruenersalon.berlin!
Curated by Modjgan Hashemian