Finally, a Festival!

Ever since I returned from backpacking, I've been hiding out in my apartment, resting my knee (and shoulder, after I wrenched it filling a watering can) and getting quite a bit of work done. I finally got bored yesterday, so I checked out blogTO, which I remember every now and then, as a good place to find out about happenings in Toronto. I ended up reading about the Tirgan Iranian Festival, taking place this weekend at the Harbourfront Centre.

Today, I biked downtown, and after eventually finding my way out of random parks and parking lots between Front St and Queens Quay W., I reached the Centre, and the festival.

Wandered around a bit, looking at the wares (I didn't spend much time browsing, since I easily succumb to the temptation of pretty things, and have no money to buy said pretty things). Decided I was hungry, so I walked around the "World Cafe", a little box of vendors from Iranian restaurants in the city, and bought a koobi-something wrap from one of them. Having no idea what anything was, I just asked the cashier for his recommendation. It was really tasty! Mm.

After awhile (I don't know how long, since I forgot to bring any kind of time-telling device), I noticed one of the stages was occupied. Seated on a little hill covered in hot, fake turf, I watched a few minutes of demonstrations on the Daf, a wide-framed drum, and then made my way (past the tea house) to another stage, where the Silk Road dance company was scheduled to perform at 3pm. At the tea house, I bought a minty drink, called sekanjabin, that was delicious, sweet and refreshing and summery. Got to the stage a bit late, and ended up sitting half in the sun (one quarter of my back, almost exactly square-shaped, is the only unburned section of my upper back and shoulders - don't ask me how that happened). The performance was incredible! They performed dances from all over the Persian Empire and Silk Road, including the Azerbaijan Tea Dance; Tajikistan Tulip Dance; one from Afghanistan that had been taught by a woman who had lived there during the Soviet period; and a dance that, before Christianity arrived in the region, celebrated the birth of the firstborn girl in a family. The costumes were gorgeous, and handmade. One set, for an Uzbekistan dance, was made from Samarkand silk in an Ikat pattern, that had been donated by a woman who saw the company's performance there. The dances themselves were beautiful, but I must admit, my favorite part was imagining the history of the region and the dances and the peoples. I highly recommend the performance.

Overall, a very good day.