NAURUZ

NAURUZ is a common for Turkic-speaking and Iranian-speaking peoples’ celebration dedicated to the New Year according to the sun calendar. It started on March 21, the day of spring equinox and lasted for 3-7 days (other sources suggest it lasted up to the end of the nauruz month). The place for celebration, games, presents etc. were to be prepared before the beginning of the holiday. On the first day children and young men would visit their neighbors in the early morning and utter “nauruz wishes”: The Agidel’s bank is covered with poplars, / It has very rare foliage, / I’m so thirsty, give me some butter / And take the blessing of nauruz. / The price of nauruz is one altyn coin, / Don’t look around like that / If you do - give me two altyn coins / And nauruz blessing is yours. People would collect food for the common meal and presents to award the participants of competitions. Medrese students used to read by heart their own bayts dedicated to the events of the previous year; the best bayts were to be included in the shezhere of the village. It was mandatory to visit the elderly people and receive their blessing. People cooked wheat for the N. celebration as it was considered to be a symbol of prosperity and abundance: “Nauruz is the head of the year. / Where is the head of food? / If we have bread - we have food. / If we don’t have it - we will eat stones.” People grew wheat and barley especially for the celebration to treat members of the family and their guests with its leaves. The celebration included many ethnic games, such as kurech, bayge, pursuit of a girl, singing competition, quaray players’ competition and others. People made an effigy of hay, decorated it with a fringe, then burned it and made wishes. People lit a bonfire and jumped over it: the fire was believed to have a cleansing power. During the celebration a beautiful Nauruz girl was to be chosen to predict the upcoming summer weather. The people were to be generous and benevolent, give charity to those who needed it during the celebration. It was considered favorable to marry during this period. Celebration of N. was believed to appease nature’s powers. It was common for many Turkic-speaking and Iranian-speaking peoples. The celebrational tradition has been restored since the 1990’s in RB. Ufa has hosted “Navruz” Republic holiday of the spring equinox since 2000. In 2009 the holiday was included into the list of intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO.

R.A. Sultangareyeva