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More than 200 Harvard students and affiliates gathered in the Northwest Labs on Saturday evening for a showcase of dance, song, art, and food in celebration of Nowruz, the first day of the Iranian calendar.

The celebration was organized by the Harvard Undergraduate Kurdish Cultural Association, the Harvard Undergraduates for Uyghur Solidarity, and the Harvard Central Asian Student Association, alongside the Turkicstan Center — a Boston and Cambridge-based non-profit organization that promotes Turkic culture.

Nowruz, which took place on March 20 this year, ushers in the beginning of spring, according to the Iranian solar calendar.

Saturday’s event began with a buffet with catered food and various booths with cultural artifacts, and artwork representing countries like Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, and Iran.

The celebration also included song and dance performances from Central and West Asian countries featuring performers who traveled from Boston, New York, and Uzbekistan.

Dalal Hassane ’26, who helped organize the event, said the celebration of Nowruz served as a way to highlight and celebrate Central and West Asian countries, which she said were often perceived as a “monolith.”

“It’s really important that we highlight the different cultures and different nuances of the communities that celebrate Nowruz in a shared space, not only to spread awareness, but to also garner solidarity,” she said.

Ildana S. Tohti, a high school student who performed a Uyghur traditional dance, said that dancing for her was a medium to express her culture.

“Being born and raised in America, it’s a good way for me to stay in tune with my culture and also spread awareness and share it with people in America,” she said.

Several organizers and performers said the event served not just as a celebration of Central and West Asian cultures, but also as a testament to cultural and political resistance.

Organizer Ali Sediqe ’28 said he believed that Central Asian culture is best described by the word “resistance.”

“I think Central Asia, throughout all of history, has always been a location of resistance or invasion from so many different powers around the world,” he said.

“Not leaving behind that core aspect of the identity of being Central Asian and bringing it here to Harvard — we know we haven’t lost our culture,” Sediqe added.

Xeyal Qertel, founder and president of the New York Kurdish Cultural Center, performed a Kurdish dance and presented at a booth. Qertel described Nowruz as a celebration of “a new beginning.”

“Kurdistan is the only nation being divided within its border by four nation-states, each part being assimilated, subjected to many unfortunate incidents from its inception,” Qertel said. “Many Kurds were forced to change their identity.”

“We are here to break all these walls, to express ourselves. To tell the world, we celebrate Nowruz, Nowruz means ‘new’ to us,” she added. “It’s a new beginning.”

Kawsar Yasin ’26, the founder and president of Harvard Undergraduates for Uyghur Solidarity, described the celebration of Nowruz as a “political act.”

“As you listen to the rest of the performances today, think about the ways in which these people have prevailed through occupation, and how their joy on its own is resistance,” Yasin said.

—Staff writer Alexander W. Anoma can be reached at alexander.anoma@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @AnomaAlexander.