March 21 – Navruz

March 21 – Navruz

At all times, among the most joyful events in people's lives was the arrival of spring – a holiday of the rebirth of nature, the triumph of life, hopes for a generous harvest year.

Translated from Farsi, Navruz means "New day" and is considered the beginning of a new year. March 21 is the day of the vernal equinox. And yet, on this day, the seasons in the hemispheres change: if autumn comes in the southern hemisphere, then spring comes in the northern one.

In Uzbekistan, people prepare very carefully for this holiday and celebrate for 15-20 days. On the days before Navruz, khashars are held everywhere in the mahalla (quarters) – people all over the world clean irrigation ditches, whitewash trees, and dig gardens.

Each makhalla has its own teahouse. And each mahalla celebrates Navruz in its teahouse. In the teahouse, delicious dishes are prepared in huge cauldrons. Residents of the makhalla, as well as residents of neighboring makhallas are invited to the holiday.

One of the main attributes of this holiday is the Uzbek dish sumalak, which is prepared from sprouted wheat grains and is a thickened mass. Sumalak preparation is a whole ceremony.

Its preparation takes a lot of time – it takes more than 10 hours to cook it. Sumalak is usually cooked on the street in a huge cauldron, kneading with wooden tools. Several people are involved in the preparation of sumalak, since the liquid must be constantly stirred, and this is very difficult for one person to do. By tradition, the cooking process is accompanied by funny songs, jokes and jokes. Men are not allowed to cook sumalak! The cooking process lasts until the mass thickens and a brown tint appears. After the sumalak is left to brew for some time, it is tightly closed with a lid and covered with something warm.

In general, Navruz is something more than just a holiday. How many centuries Navruz is, so many believe that the more cheerful and joyful it is, the more generous nature will be to people. Therefore, ritual songs of Navruz are poured on this day, people are dancing and having fun, rejoicing in the arrival of spring, giving each other gifts, helping orphans and the poor.

More and more tourists are showing interest in Uzbek national holidays. And through such holidays, foreigners can get to know the Uzbek culture better.

January 1 – New Year
January 14 – Defenders of the Motherland Day
March 8 – International Women's Day
May 9 – Day of Remembrance and Honor
September 1 – Independence Day
October 1 – Day of Teachers and Mentors
December 8 – Constitution Day
Ruza Hayit (Iid al-Fitr)
Kurban Khayit (Iid al-Adha)