Euronews
Euronews is broadcasting a cycle of programs “Azerbaijani life.” Vestnik Kavkaza presents the first show which is devoted to traditions of Nowruz holiday.
Every year 300 million people worldwide celebrate Nowruz, the Iranian and the Turkic peoples' New Year holiday. March 1st is a special day. Let's take a closer look at the traditions of Nowruz. Nowruz is New Year in the Zoroastrian solar calendar for the Iranian and Turkic peoples. Its first day falls on the vernal equinox. The celebration, dating back to pagan times, was included on the UNESCO list of Monuments of Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
The main belief of Nowruz is: the more generous the holiday, the more successful the year will be.
“In ancient times people believed that the world is made of four elements: earth, fire, water and air. Every Tuesday one of the elements activates. On the last Tuesday before the Nowruz holiday the air awakens, and with it nature awakes and comes to life,” Seyfaddin Rzasoy, an expert on folklore, says.
For Nowruz, dishes are cooked according to special rules for a generous, beautiful table. Nowruz is a family holiday, an occasion to meet with close and distant relatives and friends at the same table.
“Nowruz for us is the most important holiday of the year, it is for us the memory of childhood, it is a holiday for children. Every year we celebrate it at home always, family comes together,” Arzu Melikov from Baku says. Arzu invited Euronews to her dinner, which is prepared with centuries-verified recipes. They are passed from mother to daughter.
The feast on the Nowruz holiday is full of metaphors and meanings. For example, there should be seven dishes on the table starting with the letter 'C'.
“On the festive table somani must be presented as the main symbol of the Nowruz holiday. We light candles, going to the table with the whole family, usually, by tradition, the number of candles corresponds to the number of family members, close friends’ Naila Melikov, the hostess, says.
For the care of the preparation of the table we cannot forget about the main thing: the spiritual essence of Nowruz - scrubbing and renewal. You can enter the holiday being well-intentioned and with honest thoughts. Without debt, material and moral.
Rituals fit into the philosophy of the holiday loved by young people: burning fires and jumping through flames. A fire burns the outgoing year, people ask for good harvest and protection from evil spirits.
