WASHINGTON, March 11 (UPI) -- First lady Michelle Obama hosted a Nowruz celebration to mark the Persian New Year -- traditionally celebrated in Iran and Afghanistan -- amid a firestorm over a Republican-signed letter to the Iranian government.
The Silk Road Dance Company performed Wednesday in the East Room of the White House in celebration of the more than 3,000-year-old holiday. The official start of the nearly two-week observance is March 21, coinciding with the Spring Equinox.