Nauryz warmly celebrated in diplomatic capital of Africa
The holiday of spring and the awakening of nature – Nauryz brought together representatives of Ethiopia from state and non-governmental organizations: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Parliament, political parties, the Chamber of Commerce, the diplomatic corps, representatives of the Friends of Kazakhstan Club, journalists of a number of Ethiopian media. The event was also attended by representatives of the Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek, Azerbaijani diasporas working in organizations of the UN system, in various humanitarian and commercial organizations in Ethiopia.
During the celebration, the participants wished each other a happy new year. Ambassador of Kazakhstan, Permanent Representative to the African Union Barlybay Sadykov in his congratulatory remarks spoke about the ancient traditions of celebrating Nauryz in Kazakhstan and recalled that the UN recognized March 21 as the International Day of Nauryz, and UNESCO included it in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Mankind.
The Director General of the Department of Public Diplomacy of the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Dina Mufti, also congratulated the participants on the Nauryz holiday. «Nauryz is a celebration of the arrival of spring, the renewal of nature and new beginnings. Its traditions reflect ancient and diverse cultural traditions that promote the ideals of peace, unity, kindness and harmony,» Mufti said.
Representatives of the Abai Cultural Center, together with the diasporas of Central Asian countries and Azerbaijan, organized a concert program demonstrating the traditions and customs of the peoples of our region.
The participants enthusiastically welcomed traditional songs and dances. Kazakh folk dances «Kamazhai» and «Kara Zhorga» were presented, the head of the Abai Cultural Center, Saule Duisenova, demonstrated excellent vocal skills by singing the song «Agugai».
Ethiopia, like Kazakhstan, is a multicultural, multi-ethnic and multi-confessional country. For centuries, Ethiopia has been a unique place of peaceful coexistence of the three Abrahamic religions. Ethiopia is home to one of the oldest mosques in Africa, revered by all Muslims in the world, it was built in the VII century AD and the companions of the Prophet Muhammad were buried there. Paying tribute to the policy of Kazakhstan and Ethiopia promoting the principles of «unity in cultural diversity» and «cultural exchange» Nauryz in the diplomatic capital of Africa included traditional songs, costumes and dances of the peoples of Ethiopia.
The celebration of Nauryz also included national games, competitions and contests. Despite the geographical distance between our countries, the participants were able to make sure that Kazakhstan and Ethiopia have a lot in common in culture, traditions and customs. The ancient board games «Togyz kumalak» and the Ethiopian «Gebeta» («Manсala»), as well as tug of war, included in the program of the Nauryz holiday, are only a small part of our cultural similarity.
Traditionally, the participants of Nauryz were served a rich cuisine from national dishes of Kazakhstan and Central Asian countries.
The festive atmosphere was complemented by a Kazakh yurt, richly decorated with national decorative elements and costumes. The yurt has become a place of attraction for the African friends of Kazakhstan and a symbol of traditional Kazakh hospitality in Africa.
