The finer details may have been hidden from all except those fluent in both Persian and Korean, but it didn’t take long to understand what was happening.
With actors on one side of the stage speaking Iran’s official language, and actors on the other side speaking Korean while dressed in the garb of Korea’s bygone times, it soon became clear that this was the story of how the two peoples first came into contact.

The dramatic performance, backed by Iranian musicians playing traditional Persian instruments, ended with a prince of their people marrying a princess of the Silla kingdom. The idea of a marrying of the two cultures was a recurring theme of the celebration of Norooz, the Persian New Year Festival, which took place at the National Gugak Center in Seoul, on March 27.

“Norooz,” meaning “new day” in Persian, is typically celebrated on March 21, coinciding with the start of spring, and has taken place for more than 3,000 years. But it was not the only occasion recognized during the performance, as 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of ties between Iran and South Korea.

After the drama celebrating that initial contact, the audience of Korean, Iranian and other viewers was treated to a melding of the two cultures’ musical styles, as the Iranian troupe would be joined by geomungo player Heo Yoon-jeong, percussionist Lim Won-sick, haegeum player Chae Soo-kyeong and traditional dancer Ji Hee-yeong.

By Rob York (rjamesyork@heraldcorp.com)