We recently celebrated two cultural events in school.

First, we marked the end of Ramadan fasting and the festival of Eid by bringing together students from all year groups to receive an Eid gift. Students made Eid decorations with dough and decorated eggs in vibrant designs to display on our culture tree. It was lovely to see students supporting each other during Ramadan and talking excitedly about their forthcoming Eid plans with family. Eid Mubarak to all of our families who celebrate!

Next, we held our Persian New Year celebration, bringing together Persian members of our Culture Club who each invited two friends with whom they wanted to share their culture. Students enjoyed sampling traditional Persian food- prepared and cooked by students themselves - and even some traditional dancing! It was a wonderful celebration of the diversity within our school and the unique talents and skills our students love to share with each other. Happy Norouz to you all!   Some students have provided accounts of their experiences over the weekend below... 

In Nowruz (Persian New Year), usually our family gathers together around the Haftseen which is the table we prepare for the new years. On the Haftseen, we have 7 symbols which help us to receive good things into our life. These include:

  • an apple - symbol of beauty
  • dried oleaster fruit - a symbol of love
  • sumac - symbolising the colour of sunrise
  • sprouts - a symbol for new life (rebirth)
  • sweet wheat pudding - a symbol for strength
  • vinegar - a symbol of patience
  • garlic - a symbol of protection

The additional items being fire - jumped over for purification, coins - for wealth and prosperity, a mirror - for self-reflection, decorated eggs - for fertility, a candle - for enlightenment, a holy book or book of literature - for wisdom, and sweets - for sweetness in speech. 

To me, Nowruz is about family and coming back together around the table with loved ones. It made me feel grateful for my mum because she had prepared everything and made the table look beautiful showing how much she loves and cares for us. 

Naz - Year 8

Before I start, I would like to say what Eid means to me. Eid isn’t just a simple celebration; this is a key part of our religion, our life, our culture. This is to celebrate our fasting over 30 days, to celebrate our family and our way of life. That’s what Eid is to me. To start off, we all woke up at 5am, showered and changed into our Eid clothes. Then we prayed just 1 of the 5 prayers of the day. After this, it was time to go to my cousin’s house and we played some games but, since he was two years older, he obviously kept winning. When the clock struck 8, it was time to pray Eid prayers and listen to some stories from the Quran. Later on, we went back to my cousin’s house where we had an absolute feast! My auntie must have used the cookbook from God because of how heavenly the desserts she made were. After this, more games! I learned how to play Go Fish where I absolutely demolished my sibling. All jokes and games aside, this was a really beautiful and holy day with my happiness bar full. My dad announced that we could go to the park and me and my siblings went on this insanely long slide that I must have been sliding down for a solid 10 seconds. After all this fun, I was exhausted, but there was one more feast in store… we had roast chicken, rice, samosas, kebabs and more! I was like a balloon after eating all of that so I went into a food coma with a big smile on my face…  

Mohammed - Year 8

Nowruz is a gentle whisper of spring, arriving when the world awakens again. It begins with the soft balance of day and night, as winter lets go and light returns. In homes, flowers bloom on the table, mirrors catch the sun, and hearts fill with hope. It is a time of love, forgiveness, and new beginnings, where families gather and dreams feel closer. A beautiful fact about Nowruz is that it is over 3,000 years old and is celebrated by millions of people across different countries, yet it always carries the same simple message: life starts fresh, just like the first day of spring.

Eid Al Fitr   is like a soft sunrise after a month of patience and devotion, when hearts feel lighter and the world seems kinder. It comes at the end of Ramadan, as the first sight of the new moon brings joy and quiet excitement. Homes fill with the scent of sweet desserts, laughter flows between family and friends, and people dress in their finest clothes to celebrate together. It is a time of generosity, where giving to others is as important as receiving love. A beautiful fact about Eid al-Fitr is that it begins only after charity is given to those in need, reminding everyone that happiness is most meaningful when it is shared.