President Ilham Aliyev: “I am a happy person to convey my congratulations to my dear, native people from Karabakh, which was freed from occupation, on the occasion of Novruz holiday”
Nowruz is one of the oldest holidays in the history of mankind, and this holiday is celebrated in many parts of the world, including in Azerbaijan on the day of the spring equinox. Nowruz is a mass holiday in the whole country, where concerts of ashiqs, singers and folk singers are held. Here, jugglers and wrestlers demonstrate their strength, comic performances are shown in the squares with the participation of kosa and bald. The cup symbolizes winter, and the bald head symbolizes summer. In the word contest, of course, bald wins. In rural areas, horse races and blizzard games are held. The main holiday events in Baku are held around the legendary Maiden’s Castle.
Nowruz means “new day” from the ancient Persian language. The date of the holiday is always “tied” to the annual vernal equinox, which is determined by the solar calendar. This spring holiday has a national character and unites representatives of different nationalities.
Nowruz holiday symbolizes the arrival of spring. Each of the Turkic peoples has its own signs and traditions related to this holiday. For example, among Azerbaijanis, the first sign of the approach of spring is samani (sprouted wheat). It is believed that it is better to grow the seeds at home, it is believed to attract abundance and prosperity.
Nowruz is the embodiment of the renewal of nature and the beginning of the new year. According to custom, on this day they get up early and definitely eat something sweet, and if they can, they go on the water. Later, relatives go to each other’s houses and celebrate. There is also a bonfire on Novruz holiday. He jumps over the fire saying “My weight, my success is in the fire”.
Nowruz brings good mood to everyone without exception. Various events, celebrations and projects are usually organized on the eve of the holiday. Let’s remember that on the eve of Novruz holiday of 2007, Mehriban Khanum’s initiative was started with the campaign “Plant a tree for everyone”. The campaign continues today. After the start of the campaign, citizens, collectives of individual departments and enterprises in all cities, districts and towns of the republic voted for this call and joined the greening campaign. Hundreds of thousands of trees were planted in all corners of the republic, and new parks and gardens were built within the framework of this project, which contributed to the improvement of the environment and the solution of ecological problems. Only in 2020 – the year of Nasimi, 650 thousand trees were planted in one day on the occasion of the 650th anniversary of the great Azerbaijani poet Imaddin Nasimi, with the idea and initiative of Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva.
Nowruz holiday is one of the most important and favorite holidays in Azerbaijan. Although Novruz is celebrated mainly in Muslim countries, it is not a religious holiday at all, but symbolizes the renewal of nature. In 2009, Novruz was included in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. We would like to note that even in the first period of his leadership in Azerbaijan, the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev paid special respect to the factors that helped to raise the national spirit, despite the prohibition of the Soviet authorities, and emphasized that Novruz has ancient roots and lives forever in the hearts of the Azerbaijani people: “The best gift of Novruz holiday to us is a wonderful blessing is that since ancient times, on this holiday, people forget grudges, grudges are reconciled, and conflicts are resolved. That is, it is a holiday of friendship, solidarity and high spirituality.” The national leader Heydar Aliyev also managed to hold this holiday at a high level in the republic, and today this holiday is celebrated very grandly, the whole republic and all Azerbaijanis living in different parts of the world celebrate it. This is clearly evidenced by the festive ceremony held by our compatriots in connection with the Novruz holiday in foreign countries. It should be noted that the celebration of Novruz holiday by our diaspora has already become a tradition. The Azerbaijani diaspora is very active in the preparation and holding of the spring holiday. An exhibition of national dishes is usually organized at such events. Representatives of the national diaspora demonstrate traditional sweets. Everything is done with love and respect – clothes are sewn, national dishes are prepared. A sumptuous table of aromatic gifts, served with national dishes, malt, colorful eggs – introduce foreigners to the rich culture of the Azerbaijani people. In general, all the events related to Nowruz holiday are welcomed by foreigners.
Diaspora leaders also congratulate Novruz holiday. They note that they try to preserve our traditions, language, and culture by living far from their historical homeland. They invite the official institutions of the countries where they live in the conditions of friendship and harmony, as well as the local people to holiday events.
Nowruz has its own atmosphere. This is a holiday with centuries-old traditions and interesting customs. Our diaspora organizes Novruz events and concerts together with the Tajik, Uzbek and Tatar national cultural centers. In these events, the Turkish people generously share the richness of our culture.
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev realized the will of the National Leader and the wishes of the people of Azerbaijan. Under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the victorious Azerbaijani Army freed our native lands from occupation, and we are already celebrating Novruz in those territories. The Great Return to the territories freed from occupation has already begun. Creating a holiday bonfire in Karabakh makes every compatriot proud. Nowruz atmosphere has been created in Karabakh again. On March 20, 2021, President Ilham Aliyev said in his Novruz holiday greetings from Shusha to the world’s Azerbaijanis: “I am a happy person to convey my congratulations to my dear, native people from Karabakh, which has been freed from occupation, on the occasion of Novruz holiday. On this dear day, I want to once again congratulate all the people of Azerbaijan on a wonderful holiday.” That year, the celebration of Novruz holiday in Karabakh was very significant. Because it had been more than 30 years that our people celebrated with Karabakh niskil in their hearts. However, we spent the Novruz holiday of 2021 as a victorious nation.
This holiday has an ancient history and is celebrated with great love among Turkic peoples. The summer holiday traditionally unites representatives of all Turkic nations. That is why all Turkish people are waiting for Novruz. First of all, the Spring holiday symbolizes the friendship of peoples, living in peace in solidarity, respect and love.
Nurullayeva Zenfira Islam girl
Choir teacher of the Central Art School named after Gara Garayev, Honored teacher of the Republic of Azerbaijan