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Noruz officially recognised in British Columbia

Iranians living in the province of British Columbia in Canada have managed to have Noruz officially recognised in their province. Congratulations to them for their effort and success. This is the e-mail I got today from a friend of mine, with the scan of the Proclamation attached:

“We have managed to obtain a proclamation signed by The Lieutenant Governor, on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen, officially naming 21st March 2005 as "Noruz" in British Columbia.

I consider this as the first step towards more important events in recognition of the achievements of our local Iranian-Canadian community as well as that of our forefathers throughout the history.”

And because I couldn't bloody find this proclamation anyway on the internet, I'll copy and paste its text here to make it easier for people to find it online! This blog seems to be very well indexed by search engines, so bringing the text here should help. What a shame, the ICCA-BC doesn't look like a decent up-to-date website.

Something I like about this proclamation is the mention of examples of Iranian contribution to the world science, philosophy and arts throughout the history.

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Canada - Province of British Columbia
A Proclamation

ELIZABETH THE SECOND, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom, Canada and Her other Realms and Territories, Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith

To all to whom this presents shall come - Greeting

WHEREAS Iranian/Persian history dates back to 3000 B.C., the people of Iran have celebrated Noruz, the New Year, on the first day of Spring for 3,000 years; and,

WHEREAS Noruz pays tribute to nature's bounty and rebirth cycles, as well as the pursuit of health, happiness, prosperity, joy, and beauty; and,

WHEREAS the Iranian people, throughout their long history, have made great contribution to the arts, sciences, and philosophy; these include the writings of Omar Khayyam and Rumi, contributions to medicine of Avicenna, advances in chemistry of Razi, and the invention of algebra; and,

WHEREAS over 30,000 people of Iranian descent now reside and celebrate their own unique cultural customs and traditions in the Province of British Columbia; and,

WHEREAS those Iranian people have greatly contributed to the social, cultural, and economic well-being of the Province of British Columbia as an educated, innovative, active and professional demographic; and

WHEREAS Our Lieutenant Governor, by and wish the advice and consent of the Executive Council, has been pleased to enact Order in Council 903 on October 11, 2002;

NOW KNOW YE THAT We do by these presents proclaim and declare that March 21, 2005, shall be known as a "Noruz" in the Province of British Columbia.

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF We have caused these Our Letters to be made patent and the Great Seal of our Province to be hereunto affixed.

WITNESS The Honourable Iona Campagnolo, Lieutenant Governor of Our Province of British Columbia, in Our City of Victoria, in Our Province, this third day of March, two thousand five and in the fifty-fourth year of Our Reign.

BY COMMAND

signature

ATTORNEY GENERAL
AND MINISTER RESPONSIBLE FOR TREATY NEGOTIATIONS

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