This is a very symbolic holiday in Bukhara and many traditions and customs are associated with Novruz. A really immersive experience, as here you can feel the breath of feast every corner of the city with jolly local people walking and dancing in the streets.
Novruz marks the beginning of the New Year by the Solar calendar. On March 21st the length of the Day and the Night are equal. On March 22nd, the Day becomes longer than the Night.
It has been celebrated for at least 2,500 years, and perhaps for as long as 5,000 years. Originating in Persia and long associated with the ancient Zoroastrian religion, its name means "new day" in Farsi because for ancient Persians it marked the first day of the New Year.
It is celebrated by millions of people in West, Central and South Asia, the Caucasus, the Balkans and elsewhere. Call it what you want: Novruz, Nowruz, Nooruz, Nevroz, Navruz, Navroz. They all point to the same thing!
Uzbekistan, with the arrival of Spring, is changing in colors, air, fragrance, spirit and joy. The country becomes even more beautiful, which makes an unforgettable impression.
As a tradition, all people meet the Navruz holiday with great enthusiasm, gather together to bring clearness to their streets and parks, small creeks and ponds, stadiums and bazaars.
Novruz is impossible to imagine without a variety of meals, which is arranged in the hope of coming fruitful and profitable year.
It is Not surprising that many different national dishes are served on dastarkhan in the celebration.
The lord of festive dishes is undoubtedly "Sumalak", which is prepared in the family among relatives and friends with songs and humorous. The most tasty and healthy for the human body a spring delicacy is cooked from flour and sprouted wheat grains which are a symbol of life, heat, abundance and health.
It could be noted that since September 2009 the Navruz has been included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and at the end of February 2010 the 64th session of the UN General Assembly declared March 21 as the International Day of Navruz.
The celebration of this date indicates that the international community recognizes its importance in promoting the ideas of humanism, the preservation of peace, solidarity and good neighborliness.
