Novruz

This Azerbaijani tradition is one of the most interesting. Novruz is a feast of spring, coming of New Year. Before Novruz Azerbaijanis celebrate a number of previous days saying good bye to the Old year and welcoming the New year. These days are the four pre-holiday Wednesdays: Su Chershenbe (Water Wednesday),Odlu Chershenbe (Fire Wednesday), Torpag Chershenbe (Earth Wednesday) and Akhyr Chershenbe (Last Wednesday). According to the traditional beliefs the water is reborn on the first Wednesday: still waters come to motion; The fire does on the second one, the earth - on the third. On the fourth Wednesday the wind opens tree buds and spring begins. The nevruz and novruz pre-holydays is connect between environment. It is a wakening of nature from winter sleep.This holday has environmental character. My students will share with you about it.Our holdays of the environment– NOVRUZ has already began. Khoncha

According to the old belief the earth has got strength and mighty from previous Tuesdays. The last Tuesday means abundance, prosperity, the light of delight.We celebrate the last Tuesday as a great holiday. We decorate khoncha and burn candles for each person, cook fasali, shakarbura, gogal, pakhlava, dye eggs. We put sweets, small kind of raisns, dates, nuts, walnuts on the tray. We put fresh flowers on the table. Theremust be samani (growing wheat seeds) on the table as a symbol of spring and prosperity. Samani brings freshness, beauty with its coming. Everywhere looks fresh and beautiful in the Novruz evening. A cultivator, having made preparations for sowing the seed which he had sprouted, sings:Samani, save me nowAnd you I'll annually grow.The songs once more do testify the close association of Novruz with the life of the cultivator. People is waiting for Novruz impatiently and meet it with great pleasure. You see what a nice holiday Novruz is.