Novruz is the holiday celebrated in Azerbaijan with the arrival of spring. Preparation for the holiday begins with the Water Tuesday (Su Chershenbesi), which is celebrated on February 21 this year.
Tuesdays are key days in a week. Four Tuesdays precede Novruz; each of them symbolizes the awakening of one of the natural elements. Each of the preceding Tuesdays – chershenbe – is named accordingly: su chershenbesi (Tuesday of water – snow begins to melt, it turns into water, springs and fills rivers); od chershenbesi (Tuesday of fire – fire is a symbol of the sun and warmth); yel chershenbesi (Tuesday of wind); and torpag chershenbesi (Tuesday of earth) which is called “yilakhyr chershenbesi” (the last chershenbe of the year).
With approaching Water Tuesday water renews. Snow on the slopes begins to melt and rush to rivers. People clean their houses with water on this day. There is also a tradition to jump over streams, Azernews reported.
