Norouz Giveaway: Babak & Friends A First Norooz DVD & Storybook
The week before Norouz I received an email from Shabnam Rezaei, one of the creators of Mixed Nuts. She was passing along info about the website Oznoz.com and asked me to share it with my readers. I loved the concept of Babak and Friends from the very first time I saw the cartoon a few years back; so I asked Shabnam is she was interested in sending over a copy of Babak & Friends: A First Norouz DVD & Storybook for a give away!
Here is the synopsis of this great DVD:
Our story starts with little Babak, who feels left out at school, when his friends celebrate holidays that he does not. When his cousins Saman and Sousanne come to visit him from Iran, he is also left out because he does not know the games they like to play. Caught between two cultures, our hero needs some help in figuring things out. Through a magical journey in Persepolis and a warm reception from Amoo Norooz and Haji Firooz, Babak learns to be Persian and Proud!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Tbnbb5H8c0
I must say this has been a fabulous Norouz, for a variety of reason!!!
In order to participate in the give away please answer the following question:
How do you teach your children and get them involved in celebrating Norouz?
– Give away open to all.
– Leave a comment with your answer. Please be sure to enter a valid email address. (email addresses are not published)
– Only one entry per person is permitted.
– Give away open until Thursday March 31 at 5pm Pacific Time.
– Winner will be announced on Friday April 1.
March 27, 2011
I am American and my husband Iranian – both our boys were born in Iran, then we returned to the US when they were 5 1/2 yrs old and 1 1/2 yrs old. We have always had a Haft Seen (I always win the record among our friends of keeping gold fish alive the longest!). Now that our boys are grown and have kids of their own, we are passing down the tradition. The grandkids come to our house for their Norouz gifts and we either eat sabzi polou mahi at our house or we go out to an Iranian restaurant. We bought the Baback 1st Norouz DVD for our oldest son’s children a couple years ago. Now we are in need of another copy as our younger son had his first child. He and his family do not live near us, therefore are in search of everything they can find to ensure their daughter knows Iranian customs.
I am looking for miniature Haft Seens for the kids to play with – do you have any idea where I could find some? We are in Dallas, TX and while we can get food items, it is more limited then in CA.
P.S. LOVE your Facebook updates!!
March 27, 2011
I’ve begun to teach my kids about norooz by having a haft-seen at home, cooking and baking with them, taking them to local norooz bazaars and going ayd deedanee together.
March 27, 2011
I am a Baha’i married to an Iranian and have a 5 year old daughter and a baby boy on the way.
Since being married, we have had Haft-Sin at home for every Naw-Ruz and have been going eid-deedanee.
Each year it’s gets a little bit more fun, as my daughter grows and understand a bit better the concept and all the fun.
We tend to go extra crazy on Naw-Ruz, as we don’t celebrate Christmas, so we really decorate the house with lights and streamers and try to make her understand that Naw-Ruz is really a big deal.
But she still asks why we don’t celebrate Christmas…. lol…. I guess the DVD might be helpful 😉
Love the recipes and tips in your blog, they have been so helpful.
Greetings from Australia,
Sabby xoxox
March 28, 2011
My husband was born in Iran and left before he could walk or talk. His family spent his earliest years in a few European countries, settling in the US when he was 5. He was the new kid…the foreign kid. Smaller than the others and trying to shake his accent. In an effort to “fit in” he avoided many of the Persian traditions. Fast forward thirty years and he married an American mutt with a Christian upbringing and now has an almost one year old child.
In our conversations about how we want to raise our child, he voiced his desire to teach our son the traditions. And as we celebrate the American and Christian holidays, I want nothing more than to support him and those wishes. We not only want the baby to learn Farsi, but also eat Persian food (how I found your blog — which I LOVE) and celebrate the holidays. He wants to impart on our son many of the things he has left behind, while also allowing him to feel “American”. We want him to know from where he came and that he is special and wonderful for all of the differences and similarities he may share with the world.
We celebrated our first Norooz as a family this year. We set up a Haft Seen and jumped over the fire. And, just after we hugged and kissed and wished each other a happy new year, we watched the few youtubed clips of Mixed Nutz (Babak and Friends) we could find. We love that it can not only help teach our son Farsi, but about accepting all cultures as part of the American tapestry and about the origins and traditions of Norooz. I wish there were more videos available!
(Can you pass on to your friend that we would looooove a Mixed Nutz iphone app to help teach our son Farsi?)
March 28, 2011
My husband is Iranian and we are fortunate enough to have his mom and three of his five siblings living near us, so we celebrate with many family dinners during the thirteen day holiday. There is usually a Haft Seen in each home, too. When my children were small, my mother and father-n-law always stayed with us when they came from Iran, so it was easy and natural for them to learn the customs and language.
My oldest son now lives in another state and I would love to give this dvd to our first grandchild, born last June, so she can learn of her heritage, also.
March 28, 2011
I don’t have kids, but when I was a child, Noruz was always something we celebrated. We often went to my aunt’s house, or to my grandparents. I didn’t know that everyone else didn’t celebrate it until I was a little older, in 2nd or 3rd. My parents are divorced now, but even at my American mom’s house we have a special dinner or something. I think just having them be part of the celebration is a good way to include children. As they get older, they’ll ask questions and you can involve them more in decorating and cleaning the house and such.
March 29, 2011
Thanks so much for posting the website oznoz.com, I love it! And if anyone knows where I can buy persian dolls I would love to know. Ive been looking for years. Thanks again!
March 29, 2011
I don’t have children yet, but at our Norouz gatherings with children we make sure to have a Haft Seen and do some Persian dancing!
PS I love your blog and have linked to some of your recipes on my travel blog to help explain the food I encountered in Iran. Thanks for creating and maintaining such a wonderful site!