On March 21, local time, people celebrated Naurus Day with bonfires and dances in Dushanbe Victory Park.
Naurus Day is one of the oldest festivals loved and revered by Tajiks. How is this important holiday celebrated throughout Tajikistan and what are the interesting traditions that have survived to this day?
Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast
The Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region has always attached great importance to the festival of Naurus. Since ancient times, the local Naurus Festival (Хидирайём, meaning grand festival) has been determined using a special calculation method.
There is a stone called "Санги офтоббин" in the village of Yamg in the Wakhan River Valley, famous in the last century by the Wakhan philosopher Sophie Muborakadami Wahoni.
Vahoni used holes in the stone to clearly indicate the exact date of the festival of Naurus. According to his calculations, at that time the Naurus festival in Gorno-Badakhshan was March 16-18, and now it is March 22-23.
Before Naurus Festival, locals hold several small preparatory ceremonies. One of them is outdoor cleaning, which usually starts around March 1.
The head of the family starts the ritual "Дудбарори" early in the morning, that is, lighting a fire on the stove. It is often believed that the sooner a fire is made, the better life is. The role of this ritual is to drive the "bad things" out of the house.
At the same time, the "Сурхбарори" ceremony is held, that is, some red cloth objects are taken from the house and placed in a high place. Because red is a symbol of life and abundance. Locals also take carpets, quilts, cushions, and clothes out of the house to bask in the sun, a ritual known as "Дудазани".
Women would leave palm prints of their right hands on all the upper walls, especially the central main pillars of Pamiric houses, with white flour, while saying New Year's greetings, a ceremony known as "Шогункуни".
After that, the women clean, but do it quietly, otherwise the "bad things" will return to the house. This ritual is called "Пичром", which means taboo, forbidden.
On Naurus Day, locals greet each other and say "auspicious words" when knocking on their doors. The hostess will sprinkle flour on the right shoulder of the guest, the "бун-сафеди" symbolizing whiteness and prosperity.
Throughout the first day of the festival, people light a bonfire and begin rituals such as "Аловпарак (jumping the fire)", "хойсавори (swinging)".
At the same time, children and young people participate in the "килогузгуз" ceremony, that is, asking for the fulfillment of a wish. It is said that in the past, some young people often took the opportunity to ask their parents to take the hand of the girl they liked, and the parents could not refuse at this time.
In addition, the Naurus festival delicacy of the locals is a characteristic "sumalak": grains that have sprouted to 2-3 cm are dried or dried in the sun, then fried and ground into flour.
At about 4-5 o'clock in the early morning of the festival, the housewives bring clean water from the river (which is not visible to others), and then use this water and flour to make a pulp and cook it into sumalak porridge.
Khatlon region
The landlords, like the people of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, clean before the Naurus festival and prepare wheat seedlings. Women would make themselves hand-embroidered dresses.
A week before Naurus, children pick their first spring flowers and give them to their neighbors and loved ones. This ritual is called "Гулгардони". In this way, they inform people that the festival is coming and receive candy as a gift in return.
At the festive table, in addition to ordinary food, there must be seven dishes, fruits and items whose names begin with the Tajik letters "с" or "ш". For example, себ (apple), санчит (Jeddah, a kind of date), сир (garlic), сипанд (camel canopy), сирко (apple cider vinegar), сабза (wheat seedlings) and суманак (sumalak porridge), or шамъ (candle), шакар (sugar), шир (milk), шахд (honey), ширини (grape or mulberry syrup), шарбат (juice) and шона (comb).
In the evening, the women began to make suma rak from the sprouted wheat, and everyone took turns stirring. Each woman or girl is to help stir at least three times and put in small stones to make a wish. It is important to wear a headscarf so that the wish can come true. Everyone sang and danced all night long, because according to custom, it is necessary to welcome the New Year with joy.
When Sumalak is done in the morning, the women divide it among their relatives and neighbors. In addition to Sumalak, there is a festive specialty called "далда" in the southern regions of Tajikistan, and other regions are also called гандумкуча, кашк, гандумоб, etc., made in large pots of wheat and other legumes, and the portions are enough for everyone around.
Locals also have their own ethnic sports competitions, such as wrestling, cockfighting and sheep carrying. Among them, sheep is the most gambling of all the competitions. For each round won, the winner receives a prize. During Naurus, the prize can even be a car, an expensive carpet, or a large sum of money.
Thaugert Region
Locals celebrate the Naurus Festival earlier than in other parts of Tajikistan. On the evening of March 6, pilaf is made and the "ошалишакон" (literally means exchange pilaf) ceremony, exchanging gifts and congratulating the New Year.
On the morning of March 7, locals visit graves to remember the deceased. Also on this day, children go door-to-door in the evening with early spring flowers in hand. As soon as the host's house opens, the children start singing nursery rhymes about early spring flowers and giving them out as a symbol of the arrival of spring. At this time, the children must be given something in return, usually a coin (1-2 somoni) or candy.
There is also a tradition in the Tevaštage district called "Сайри теппача". It is related to the bride. Every year, with the arrival of spring, unmarried girls visit the homes of people who have recently had their weddings.
The new daughters-in-law will prepare festive dinners, snacks, and cabaret performances for unmarried girls. Before leaving, unmarried girls are given small gifts prepared in advance - headscarves, handkerchiefs, perfumes, combs, etc.
Before Naurus, the new daughters-in-law, accompanied by their mother-in-law or mother, dress up and go to Tepacha, a place called Tepacha, between the villages of Gazantarak and Soi. New daughters-in-law from nearby villages and towns gather here to bring all kinds of delicacies and sweets.
"Сайри теппача" is celebrated with joyful dances, passionate songs and games. It is worth noting that only new daughters-in-law who have been married for the past year will come to this festival.
Source: your.tj
Compile: Vika