Azernews.Az

Novruz Bayrami is broadly marked around the world as a holiday marking the advent of spring. Closely related to the astronomic calendar, Novruz is celebrated in the northern hemisphere as the beginning of a new year on March 20-22. A number of nations around the globe link the outset of the spring season with the revival of nature and hold festivities on this occasion.
Novruz meaning "New day" has become the most important among Azerbaijan's national holidays. It has been ingrained in the people's memory for many centuries and became a social event in their history.
Azerbaijan has historically celebrated the vernal equinox, "The Coming Day of Spring", just like Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asian states Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and other Eastern countries.
People begin to mark the holiday a month ahead of time. They mark Tuesdays of the last month of winter which are associated with four elements - Wind, Fire, Water and Soil. Novruz brings people hopes of putting an end to a bad day, replacing Winter with Spring, and signifies the start of the harvesting season.
Scholars say Novruz has ancient roots. The holiday, referred to by ancient Turks as Ergenekon, dates back as far as five millennia, according to research.
Islamic figures have always tried to add a religious coloring to the holiday, but public events held on the occasion were actually unrelated to Muslim canons. Most nations, including Azerbaijanis, have preserved a host of traditions based on the true essence of the spring holiday.
The food that is put on the table over Novruz Bayrami is distinct. Seven dishes starting with the letter "S" are to be served. Vinegar, milk and Samani (a green sprout of wheat) are also among traditional items. Moreover, candles and a looking glass are put on the table, and dyed eggs are laid around the looking glass. A candle symbolizes fire and light, while a looking glass - clarity, and an egg signifies the beginning of life. Special sweets are cooked and served over Novruz Bayrami, including "gogals" (salty flat cakes), "pakhlava" and "shakarbura", as well as pilaff.
On the eve of the holiday, people usually take care of their houses and yards, plant trees, clear the fields, start bonfires and jump over them. Under the tradition, everyone should stay home on the first day of the holiday. A saying goes that "if you don't, you will not be home for seven years". In the past, people used to leave the doors to their abodes open and keep the lights on through the night on the first day of the new year. An extinguished fire or turned-off light was considered a sign of misfortune. All those who were at odds are supposed to make amends.
The Azerbaijani people celebrated national holidays in a rather low-key way during the Soviet Union times. The USSR leadership authorized celebration of Novruz Bayrami for the first time in 1967 on the initiative of the Azerbaijan Communist Party's secretary on ideology issues, writer and playwright Shikhali Gurbanov, who managed to agree marking the holiday on state level with the central government in Moscow.
But the festive spirit of 1967 unfortunately did not last long. Despite Novruz's being the most festive holiday in Azerbaijan, which was then part of the Soviet empire, the celebrations were discontinued after Gurbanov's mysterious death. Azerbaijanis were able to mark the holiday again only after 1989 when the national liberation movement started in the republic. The government issued a decree to solemnly celebrate Novruz that year.