Azernews.Az

Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre in Uzbekistan has celebrated the Novruz spring festival with a gala concert.

Among the guests were employees of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Uzbekistan, cultural, literary, and educational figures of Uzbekistan, and diaspora representatives, Azernews reports.

Director of the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre in Tashkent, Samir Abbasov, congratulated everyone on the Novruz holiday, noting that it was included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, as a cultural monument of the Azerbaijani people.

The holiday was given the status of an official holiday in Azerbaijan by a presidential decree dated March 13, 1990.

In 2009, Novruz was included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and since then, March 21 has been declared the International Day of Novruz.

This holiday is distinguished by wonderful traditions and customs, reflecting national values, lifestyle, culture, and art for thousands of years.

The executive director of the Uzbekistan-Azerbaijan Friendship Society, Professor Erkin Nuriddinov, and Deputy of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan, Gulbahor Saidganieva, said that the Novruz holiday, widely celebrated in the Turkic world, demonstrates the ancient history and rich traditions of both peoples.

The Novruz spring festival, which embodies a common history, spiritual roots, values, and rich culture, is also an indicator of the closeness of the two peoples.

In the artistic part, the centre children's dance group of the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre in Tashkent performed the Azerbaijani folk dance Yalli around the festive fire.

The guests were shown a video about the celebration of the Novruz holiday in Azerbaijan, followed by a concert with the participation of the Kaikeb Aliyeva Dance Ensemble, Rano Azizova, Olima Mahmudova, and Ilham Abdullayev.

The concert program featured Azerbaijani and Uzbek songs, which the guests listened to with great pleasure. The guests of the event were also treated to traditional dishes and sweets.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr

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