“Celebration of Navruz Holiday”

Navruz is a holiday of spring, the rebirth of nature, the beginning of agricultural and horticultural work and vernal equinox.  The word of Navruz means “new day” and is celebrated at the beginning of a new solar year. This wonderful holiday symbolizes the beginning of the New Year according to the solar calendar, embodies tolerance, harmony with nature, as well as the continuity of traditions and generations.

More than 6 thousand years ago, our ancestors laid the foundation for a cultural tradition that embodies the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, as well as the triumph of purity and fidelity.

It is gratifying that today  this ancient traditional holiday of our peoples is widely and with special warmth celebrated by many in the world community.

As it is known, on the initiative of the countries of the Navruz area, on March 21, 2010, the United Nations adopted a Resolution declared Navruz an International Holiday. 

The recognition of Navruz by the United Nations as an International Holiday  demonstrates that the inhabitants of planet honor this truly cultural and humanistic holiday, as a symbol of beauty and the awakening of nature.

In 2016, Navruz was also included in the UNESCO Representative List at the suggestion of 12 countries of the world.

There is a lot of information about the history of this ancient holiday in historical, literary and artistic sources, based on which Tajik and other foreign scholars have written valuable articles and treatises. "Shohnoma" by Hakim Firdavsi, "Navruznoma" by Umar Khayam, "Osar-ul-Bakiya" and "At-Tafhim" by Abu Raikhan al-Biruni, "Zain-ul-Akhbar" by Abulsaid Gardezi, Al-Mahasin wa'l Kisrawi-Azdad and several others who consider Jamshed the founder of Navruz. 

Celebration of Navruz during the reign of the Samanids continued with great fanfare, as noted by scholars in literary and historical sources. Leading poets such as Rudaki, Ferdowsi, Dakiki spoke about Navruz with love and expressed in words a beautiful picture of spring. 

First of all, children announce the arrival of Navruz to others, performing a joyful ceremony of gifting flowers. One or two weeks before Navruz, they gather in groups, go to the mountains and ridges to pick spring flowers: boycechak(snowdrop) and yellow flowers, and go singing from house to house, to announce the arrival of Navruz. The owners take flowers and hand out  cakes, sweets, raisins and nuts to the children.People are preparing for Navruz a couple of weeks before the holiday. Women and girls take things out of the house and clean everything, wash blankets, curtains and carpets. After all, a clean house is a symbol of purity, peace and new well-being. 

During the holiday, Tajiks prepare a variety of dishes and drinks and put them on the festive table. Sumanak is a sort of Navruz dish made of wheatgrass. The grass itself is a symbol of the rebirth of nature and health, beauty and pacification of life. 

Even in the past centuries,   Tajiks put seven fruits on the festive table during Navruz. Different fruits were put on the table in each house, such as apples, pomegranates, grapes, amrud, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, dried apricots, raspberries, raisins and other fruits. 

In the days of Navruz, also special spring dishes are prepared from delicious herbs and cereals. Cereals symbolize New Year's blessings and nature's healthy food. 

Another ancient tradition is to patch up matters between the quarrelers. At the beginning of the new year, no one should be rude to anyone. Usually the elderly intervene and bring the angry people together. During Navruz, people organize wrestling, horseback riding, and running competitions.
Many songs and poems have been written about Navruz that reflect joy and happiness, respect for beautiful nature, moral and social values. 

People say that "A good spring is a good year." May the blessing and abundance of spring give the life of every inhabitant of our countries fresh tones and meaning, may the dastarkhan of each family be filled with plenty!

May this wonderful holiday bring prosperity and happiness to every home!
Happy vernal equinox day, with a wonderful holiday of renewal-Navruz!