Nauryz, celebrating the coming of spring and abundance
What we have today as Nowruz with its uniquely Iranian characteristics has been celebrated for at least 3,000 years and is deeply rooted in the rituals and traditions of the Zoroastrian belief system in the Sassanid period, the English Learners Online Educational Magazine said.
The word "Nowruz" is a compound of two Persian words, "now" which has the same etymology as the English word "new" and means new, and the word "ruz" which means both "day" and "time." Literally meaning the "new day," Nowruz is usually translated as "new year."
The festival of Nowruz (Noruz, Norooz, Nevruz, Newruz, Navruz), is marked by people of many faiths in Persia, Balkans, Middle East, Caucasus, Black Sea Basin and Central Asia on March 21 or the previous/following day depending on where it is observed - the day of the vernal equinox.
The Kazakhs, Uzbeks and Uighurs passed the Nauryz traditions from generation to generation. The Tajiks called it Gulgardon or Gulnavruz, the Tatars refer to it as Nardugan and the Ancient Greeks knew it as Patrich.
Nauryz transcends religious, ethnic, linguistic and national divisions and brings people together. It showcases the region's rich tradition and mythology for the world to experience.
It is believed that the first celebration of the holiday was made even before Islam was introduced in ancient Kazakhstan. Although the holiday is non-religious in nature, it was tied up to a number of legends such as the awakening of mother nature and the triumph of good over evil with spring representing the former and winter representing the latter.
According to A Global World, Nauryz Meyramy is one of the important and the most anticipated holidays in Kazakhstan. Its celebration was halted and made less festive in the mid-19th century. However, it remained to be part of the people's way of life and has managed to exist until it was formally reinstated in 1988, three years before it finally declared independence from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) on December 16, 1991, the Oriental Express Central Asia says.
The celebration of Nauryz Meyramy may last for a week or two weeks or even one month. Various cultural events are held in Astana, the country's capital, and other major cities and towns in the country. The Government also holds ceremonies with speeches calling for peace and national unity among its people.
In modern Kazakhstan, Nauryz is truly a social event. Today's festival is essentially different from the old. People gather together to take part in charitable events, folk sporting games, planting of trees, cleaning of parks, streets and squares. Lots of yurts, stages are built the countrywide. Food is cooked on open fires in huge pots, and people dress festively. Throughout the day loud music is played and national singers and dancers perform their arts. Above all, it is a time for people to spend time with their friends and family, to meet new people and to make new acquaintances.
On the eve of the holiday, people would clean their homes, pay back their debts and reconcile with their opponents because, as the old people used to say, if Nauryz entered the house, all diseases and failures would pass it by. On the night before the festival, all vessels in the house would be filled with milk; airan (plain yogurt), grain, and spring water because it meant that people would have a lot of milk, good yield and plenty of rain during the coming year.
The Kazakhs attached special importance to the number of seven during the Nauryz celebrations because it symbolized the seven days of the week, which was considered to be a time unit of the universal eternity. Seven bowls with the Nauryz-kozhe drink (made from seven sorts of seven types of herbs) would be put in front of the aksakals (respectable old people). The meals were composed of seven components, usually meat, salt, fat, onions, wheat, kurt (a type of cheese) and irimshik (a kind of cottage cheese).
The ancient holiday of Nauryz has naturally become a part of the modern life, preserving the old traditions.