THE MAGICAL WORLD OF NOVRUZ

If we lived by the wise philosophy of Novruz, there would be no wars and conflicts on earth. People would begin to understand how valuable every single life, family traditions, good-neighbourliness and compassion are, while the ideas of "preservation of cultural diversity" and "strengthening of friendship between peoples and communities" would not have become empty words for many. This means that people could live in harmony with themselves without violating the unique laws of nature.

Thanks to such a rich philosophy, 21 March was recognized by UNESCO as International Day of Novruz, and the holiday was included on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as a cultural tradition of many nations, including Azerbaijan. Novruz has become an international day, and today we can only marvel at how diverse this holiday is and how extensive its cultural coverage is. Interestingly, many Novruz customs in different nations strongly resemble each other, which once again proves the fairness of the verses of the Azerbaijani poet Cabir Novruz that "the world was born by one mother".

Novruz: The link between generations and nations

Novruz is truly everywhere, because the arrival of spring marks not only the natural course of nature and the vernal equinox, but also the coming of spring in the soul. No wonder that according to the astronomical solar calendar, Novruz is considered the beginning of a new year.

Scientists claim that Novruz began to be celebrated by the solar calendar in Mesopotamia and Babylon before the third millennium BC. In written sources, Novruz was first mentioned in 505 BC. The history of this holiday is mentioned in "Siasatnameh" by Nizami Al-Mulk, "Novruznameh" by Omar Khayyam and "The Remaining Signs of Past Centuries" by Abu Rayhan al-Biruni.

It just so happened that Novruz is celebrated mainly in the nations of the Islamic world. However, periodic attempts to associate it with religion failed. The festival continues to keep its human, philosophical sense, which is incorporated in its nature.

Today in Iran and Afghanistan, Novruz is celebrated on 21 March as the official start of a new year by the astronomical solar calendar. As a public holiday it is celebrated on the same day in Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyz-stan, Albania, Macedonia and Turkey. In a number of Russian regions with a population of predominantly Turkic roots, as well as in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China, Iraqi Kurdistan and some regions of India, it is celebrated as a national holiday. According to the Bahai calendar, Novruz is also the beginning of the year.

Azerbaijan

Novruz in Azerbaijan is celebrated on the vernal equinox. Preparations for the holiday begin a month before. The prelude to Novruz is the four Tuesdays before the vernal equinox, each of which represents one of the major natural elements: water, fire, air, and finally earth. On the festive day, all four elements come together for the good of man, bringing peace of mind and material prosperity to his home.

On the eve of the holiday, everyone must visit the graves of loved ones. There is also charity and sacrifices.

You cannot enter into a new year without going through the rite of purification. That's why total cleaning begins before Novruz and clothes are renewed. As for the holiday table, although it may differ in the number and range of dishes, depending on the material prosperity of a particular family, no one has cancelled the required attributes of the spring holiday. This is the baklava - a symbol of the star, sakarbura - a symbol of the moon and qogal - a symbol of the sun. On the last Tuesday holiday eggs are coloured. The very process of preparing for the holiday is a kind of action that calls on mankind for unity and mutual assistance. In view of its complexity, relatives, friends and neighbours prepare for the holiday together. Only the pilaf - the main dish of the holiday - is prepared by every family individually.

And the chief ornament of the festive table is the samani - wheat sprouted in a bowl, and the xonca - a tray of sweets, nuts, dried fruits, painted eggs and lit candles.

On the first day of Novruz they get up early. All wish each other a happy and blessed year. On this day, in the morning you must eat something sweet so that the year develops respectively. It is the custom to check dyed eggs in a game of strength. Another interesting custom is fortune-telling on the Novruz evening and "qulaq fali" when they make a wish and stand at someone's door, listening to conversations in the home. If the owners utter good wishes and engage in a pleasing dialogue, then your wish will come true, if you hear swearing or other negative things - you should forget about your wish. Therefore, on holidays Azerbaijani families do not discuss problems and do not argue at least in order not to discourage those who are eavesdropping on them. After all, being good to others is inherent in the philosophy of Novruz. No wonder that on this holiday it is customary to reconcile people and forget about quarrels.

On the festive evening, bonfires, which, according to legend, remove evil and ailments, are made in the courtyards. All young and old people try to jump over the bonfire three times to burn ailments and problems of the year in the flames. If possible, it is customary to celebrate the holiday at home with the family or "you will have to wander for seven years".

The interpretation of Novruz in Azerbaijani mythology is quite interesting. During the holiday folk shows featuring such characters as Kosa (bald) and Kecal (bald-headed) are widely popular.

According to the researcher of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Umida Aysel, the folklore character Kosa is a symbol of the passing year, the image of the forces of darkness, death, cold and anything that can be classified as negative, and he is doomed to inevitable defeat in confrontation with the forces of good.

"Novruz, like many others of such holidays, represents some border between the past and the future. Even weather changes in a matter of days are perceived as a stage of the struggle and as the reluctance of the negative forces to give way to new, life-affirming forces. Kosa is the embodiment of winter and apparently symbolizes something that is becoming obsolete. He is skinny, his facial hair is quite rare. His "partner" Kecal also differs little from him. The bald spot on his head cannot be called life-affirming. But the goat, which embodies yield and fertility in many nations, is a symbol of spring. After the temporary retreat of spring, which symbolizes the expulsion of the goat by Kosa, we see the return of the goat with yeanlings and the killing of Kosa - a celebration of life, the beginning of a new life-cycle," the expert explained in an interview with R+.

Spring in every home

Of course, the content of festive ceremonies and events in different countries is different. But the essence of the life-affirming celebration does not change. In Kazakhstan, for example, Novruz is called a great day of ulus (people). Boys that are born on the day of the festival - 22 March - were named Nauryzbay and girls - Nauryz. A child born on the holiday was regarded as special - he, according to legend, was supposed to have good luck and wealth. In Uzbekistan, the festival often lasts as much as 15-20 days. It is celebrated in teahouses: they traditionally prepare original Uzbek dishes such as tugrama-pilaf, sumalak (a dish from germinated wheat) and halim (wheat porridge with meat) in huge boilers. On the vernal equinox, the Kyrgyz organize a festival in honour of the holiday. The Turkmen, Tajiks, Kurds and Alawis in Turkey celebrate Novruz no less lavishly. In Iran, with the advent of Islam, the ancient tradition of Novruz was combined with Islamic teachings. According to the beliefs of Iranians, Novruz became a symbol of Iranian culture.

Despite some differences between festivities held in the countries of Central Asia, Iran, the Balkans, and our country, all the peoples of these regions celebrate Novruz at the same time and consider this holiday part of their culture. All these nations are united by Novruz and its symbols - samani, rice and fire. Almost all peoples stage numerous shows and performances on Novruz. A special place among them belongs to horse riding, competitions of strongmen, tightrope walkers, acrobats on a wire, etc. And they all carry the idea of the victory of the forces of good over the forces of evil. Death in the name of life, renewal of nature and the beginning of a new life cycle!

Happy holiday of spring and rebirth!