Celebrations of Nowruz Bayram

Turkmenistan marked Nowruz Bayram with colorful celebrations. The main festivities took place at the foothills valley near Ashgabat, which is called Nowruz Ýaýlasy (Nowruz valley) by the resolution of the President of Turkmenistan. There was temporarily set up a Turkmen village with yurts with carpeted flooring, farmsteads with pets, smoking cauldrons, craft workshops and the traditional oriental bazaar with stalls and brisk salesmen.

This year’s celebration of Nowruz Bayram in Turkmenistan brought together cultural workers and journalists from Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey and the autonomous territorial unit of Gagauzia of the Republic of Moldova.

Guests of the festival watched the performances by folk groups, festive rites of the Turkmen people, admired the art of riders and grace of Akhal-Teke horses. They were also treated to the national meals. In the evening, the festival participants lit a big bonfire and took part in the ritual of jumping over the flames. This ritual symbolizes spiritual purification as well as the cycle of the sun that gives life and light.

Holiday concerts and outdoor festivities marking Nowruz were held in all administrative centers of the country and the capital city.

President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov congratulated the people of Turkmenistan on Nowruz Bayram. In his congratulatory message, the head of state noted that that the International Day of Nowruz absorbed the high spiritual and moral values ​​and distinctive historical and cultural traditions of the peoples of the world, including the people of Turkmenistan.

Nowruz Bayram, or the day of the vernal equinox, is one of the oldest festivals in the history of mankind. Historians date it back to more than three thousand years. This holiday symbolizes the end of winter and the arrival of spring, the beginning of the new agricultural cycle. In the old days, the Iranian, Turkish and several other nations of Eurasia celebrated Nowruz as New Year. In 2010, the UN General Assembly recognized March 21 as the International Day of Nowruz.