Tamana Ansari | Fanous Show
Selma Majidi, who has lived in Orange County since the early 1980s, recalls with satisfaction and appreciation the dramatic and positive changes in the area’s urban atmosphere, particularly in the parks and public amenities department.
He says in his first years of residence, a lack of proper parks left families limited choices for leisure and cultural programs, and Afghan society was forced to celebrate Nowruz and Mele Bahar, long distances to San Francisco and the East Bay.
Orange County today is showcasing a new standard of healthy, family-centered and culturally viable urban living, according to her. Parks that not only provide green spaces and a peaceful environment for relaxation, but also become ideal places for cultural, social and family gatherings.
Salma emphasizes that increasing the number and quality of parks has enabled families to hold important cultural ceremonies in the same city and in a safe and equipped space without the need for long trips.
He fondly recalls his first experience of participating in the Nowruz ceremony two years ago in one of Orange County’s beautiful parks; a park that, with its spacious space, diverse facilities, impeccable cleanliness, and well-managed management, provided the perfect conditions for a grand cultural celebration. According to him, the park was able to be a worthy host for Nowruz, proving that urban public spaces can play an essential role in fostering social cohesion and preserving cultures.
“In this park, everything was ready for a complete celebration,” says Selma Majidi.
“We were able to celebrate Nowruz in a green, open and welcoming environment with family and children by wearing traditional clothes and local jewellery,” he continued. “The park facilities allowed various programs such as paper throwing, tug of war, football and volleyball, special children’s toys, war egg stalls, Afghan flag painting by children, food stalls and cooking of fresh fish and original Afghan music to be held in an organized and safe manner.”
Majidi added his appreciation that Orange County’s well-equipped standard parks have transformed Nowruz into an easy, inexpensive and accessible celebration for all families: “A celebration that no longer requires the seven-hour drive — and it does not cost hefty and enables cultural programmes to take place in the heart of where people live, in a healthy, happy and inspiring atmosphere,” he explained.
This story was produced by American Community Media in collaboration with the Laboratory for Environmental Narrative Strategies (LENS) at UCLA as part of the Greening American Cities initiative supported by the Bezos Earth Fund. Read more stories like this by visiting the Greening Communities homepage.
