Azernews.Az

By Nazrin Gadimova

Su Chershenbesi (Water Tuesday), the first of four magic Tuesdays before the most-loved ancient holiday of Azerbaijanis - Novruz Bayram - will be celebrated across the country on February 25.

Novruz is a symbol of winter's end and the advent of spring, an affirmation of life in harmony with nature, an indication of equality and fraternity, as well as renewal of nature.

People start celebrating Novruz a month before the holiday, which is associated with four elements - water, fire, earth and wind. Spring comes with all its beauties; water unfreezes, the earth gets warm, the soil awakens, and weather changes.

Legend has it that God created man from soil and water, gave him warmth, and ordered the wind to wake him up. Novruz symbolizes humanity and is a real holiday of nature.

Novruz Tuesdays are considered sacred. The four Tuesdays are named after these elements, called Su Chershenbesi (Water Tuesday), Od Chershenbesi (Fire Tuesday), Torpaq Chershenbesi (Earth Tuesday), and Hava or Akhir Chershenbe (Wind or Last Tuesday).

Each Tuesday has its own traditions. Folk belief has it that water purifies and stirs, fire, earth and wind awaken the nature, and trees begin to blossom, symbolizing the coming of spring.

Since God created man from water and earth, water symbolizes the beginning of life, and legend has it that water is renewed on this day.

On this day, young girls used to walk to springs in the mountains to get pure water, and came back with water in their Sahangs, a traditional Azeri jug made of metal with special carvings on it. Girls used to splash water around their houses and on their relatives' faces. A bowl of water in the Khoncha, a Novruz tray with nuts and sweets, is a required attribute of Water Tuesday.

Novruz is famous for its dishes, but what is most interesting is that there are special dishes for each Tuesday. Lentil-pilaf is usually prepared on the first Tuesday, because bean dinners should decorate the table on that day. You may ask why beans? Beans are rich in protein, and are very easy to digest. For example, soybean is a unique plant rich in protein, more nutritious than meat.

Cooking lentil-pilaf is quite easy; you only need rice (500 grams), lentils (230 grams), butter (200 grams), raisins (30 grams), saffron (0.1 grams), cinnamon (0.2 grams), and salt.

First, you need to sort, wash, and soak lentils in cold water for 2-3 hours. Then boil it in salted boiling water.

Boil the rice in plenty of salted boiling water untill the state of "al dente"- slightly moist. Put it on a colander to drain.

"Gazmag" is usually laid at the bottom of the pot; it is the dough that turns into a crispy crust with an extraordinary taste during the cooking process. To prepare gazmag, you should mix the flour and salt and grind it into crumbs, add butter and sour cream, and knead it into a soft dough. Then roll it out into a circle and place it on the bottom of the pan on which 50 grams of butter has melted.

Mix the boiled rice and lentils, put them into the cauldron, and bring it to readiness. Then pour the melted butter on top. Braise spices and raisins until they're ready and then serve them as gravy for the rice.

It is traditional to light bonfires on all the four Tuesdays and the eve of Novruz, and jump seven times over one bonfire, or once over 7 bonfires despite one's age and gender. People believe that fire is purifying and takes away all your troubles before the start of the New Year [solar calendar]. Young boys and girls take the ashes of the fire and throw it far from their houses, meaning that they're throwing away all the misfortunes of their family with the ash.

Novruz has an ancient history. It is often linked to Zoroastrianism, the oldest of the monotheist religions. Scientific researches relate the Novruz Holiday to the period of prophet Zardush, dating back 3,500 to 5,000 years.