Vacations in Uzbekistan will be especially pleasant to spend during the celebration of the colorful Navruz there, the main holiday of spring. New Year according to the natural calendar will come on March 21st. Beautiful outfits of local residents, dances, songs, flowers, smiles and delicacies – Navruz will not leave tourists without vivid impressions.

On Tuesday, March 21, Uzbekistan will celebrate the holiday of spring – Navruz, one of the most long-awaited, bright and cheerful.

Navruz will be celebrated on a grand scale on March 21 in Uzbekistan

During the holidays on The streets of Uzbek cities decorated with spring flowers, in parks, concert halls will host interesting events designed to acquaint the audience with the ancient traditions and customs of the country. It will be possible to taste festive dishes in cafes and restaurants.

Anyone can immerse themselves in the exciting festive action. And you, of course, too.

Before the trip, we recommend that you get acquainted with all the tourist opportunities of Uzbekistan and the offers of tour operators working in the direction. You will find answers to all your questions regarding holidays in this beautiful Central Asian country on the pages of a new special project at the ATOR site.

NAVRUZ IN UZBEKISTAN: TRADITIONS

In 2009, Navruz, the New Year according to the astronomical solar calendar, celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox, was included in the UNESCO cultural heritage list. A year later, the UN General Assembly proclaimed March 21 the International Day of Navruz.

Navruz is an ancient holiday, rooted in the Zoroastrian past of the peoples who inhabited the territory of the ancient Persian empire. Its origin is attributed to the reign of the Achaemenid dynasty. For many thousands of years, this holiday has become an integral part of the national culture of many eastern peoples, including the inhabitants of Uzbekistan.

Navruz translated from Farsi means New Day. Nowruz symbolizes the beginning of a new life. Photo: uzbekistan.travel

Each country in Asia has its own traditions of the Navruz holiday. In Uzbekistan, they bring beauty to the holiday, decorate the streets with spring flowers.

For the holiday, they choose the hostess of the celebration – Bahor Khanum, personifying spring. Another hero of the Dekhkan-bobo holiday is the grandfather-farmer, whose role is played by one of the elders. Momoer – Earth is also chosen.

On the days of the bright holiday, they certainly do good, forgive insults, do not quarrel with loved ones and help those in need. Gifted kindness and generosity in the future bring good luck and prosperity.

WHAT DISHES CAN YOU TRY IN UZBEKISTAN DURING NAVRUZ CELEBRATION

On the days of Navruz, the inhabitants of Uzbekistan take part in folk festivals, go to each other's houses and treat themselves to festive dishes. There are always a lot of dishes on the festive table. The more of them, the more prosperous and fruitful the coming year will be.

The sumalak delicacy is the main dish of Navruz. It is prepared from germinated wheat grains, which symbolizes rebirth and new life. Sprouted wheat is ground and squeezed, and then boiled in boiling oil with flour. Cook for a day, stirring constantly. The result is a delicious sweet dessert in the form of thick porridge.

Every year on the twentieth of March in all cities of Uzbekistan you can see the process of cooking sumalak. They cook it outside in huge pots. The whole yard prepares the dish. Sumalak must be constantly stirred, therefore a rather large number of people are involved in the preparation of the dish, replacing each other at the cauldron.

Sumalak. Photo provided by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Uzbekistan

While cooking, women sing national songs, dance, tell interesting stories to each other, and also interpret the drawings that are formed under the lid of a cauldron on the surface of sumalak.

This kind of fun has its own name – “Sumalaksayli”, which means “Sumalak Festival”. He calls people to friendship and cooperation.

Sumalak is cooked all day and all night. In the morning, it is still warm and distributed to neighbors, relatives and acquaintances. Trying sumalak, you need to make a wish. They say it comes true. And the one who gets a pebble will certainly be lucky. Small stones fall into the dish during cooking. They are placed at the bottom of the cauldrons so that the sumalak does not burn.

Shurpa, cook-somsa (spring somsa with greens and spinach), lamb dishes and, of course, tugrama-pilaf are the sumalak company in the festive menu.< /p>

The peculiarity of the festive pilaf is that it comes with an additional side dish. Carrots and meat are boiled for it, chopped onions, a mixture of green onions, cilantro and dill are also added.

There are also a lot of sweets and pastries on the festive table. It is worth trying nishalda, a sweet dessert made from egg whites.

Somsa with greens. Photo: uzbekistan.travel

Tourists who come to Uzbekistan during the celebration of Navruz will be able to go to a complete gastronomic “separation” in any tea house. Wherever you come, you will be covered with a festive dastarkhan, you will be sure to be treated (including sumalak) and wish abundance and prosperity in the new year.

HOLIDAY FESTIVALS IN TASHKENT

Festive celebrations on the occasion of Navruz are held in all cities of Uzbekistan. Tourists participating in them can get not only an interesting gastronomic experience, but also get acquainted with the customs of the country at traditional festivals, performances of national ensembles, folk fairs, concerts.

Navruz in Uzbekistan is celebrated brightly. There are traditional festivals, performances of national ensembles, fairs. Photo: courtesy of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Uzbekistan

The festivities are held in Tashkent on a particularly impressive scale. You don’t have to look for any special locations – everyone and everywhere walks on Navruz. You just have to go out into the street, and you are already in the center of fun events.

Let's give a few guidelines: you should pay attention to such beautiful parks as Yangi Uzbekistan, Tashkent City Park.

Tashkent ethnopark “Navruz” is a great place to celebrate the ancient New Year. Photo provided by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Uzbekistan

An excellent place to immerse yourself in the spring holiday will be the Navruz ethnopark in Tashkent. On the day of spring, guests of the park will have a rich entertainment program with performances by folklore groups, pop performers, and exhibitions of artisans. There will be show programs for children and tasting of festive dishes.

The first cable-stayed bridge in Uzbekistan. Included in the complex of the park “Navruz”. Photo: uzbekistan.travel

And most importantly – you can and will have to admire the park itself. Here you can see Uzbekistan in miniature: small copies of the historical sights of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. And there is even a small Tashkent TV tower.

And also the highest in Uzbekistan 72-meter Ankhor Star Ferris wheel, the first 88-meter cable-stayed bridge in the country, craft workshops, teahouses.

In the center of the park there is an amphitheater with a huge map of the country on the marble floor and a stage in the form of a flower. Festive performances will be held there.

Amphitheater in Navruz park. Photo: uzbekistan.travel

Those wishing to listen to jazz during Navruz days are expected at the Turkiston Palace of Arts on March 23. At the Assalom Navruz holiday concert, famous works will be performed, including Oscar Quincy Jones, composer and Grammy winner, performed by the Jazz Orchestra of the State Philharmonic Society of Uzbekistan.

For modern music, go to the disco bar. On March 25, Cowboy Jack Bar will have dances to the music of DJ Mag, DJ Khadjiev and DJ Rackhimov.

It is worth going to the Uzbek national puppet theater with children. There, on March 18 and 19, there will be a performance by Bahora and Navruz, dedicated to the arrival of spring and the onset of the new year.

NAVRUZ IN THE ANCIENT CITIES OF UZBEKISTAN

The celebration of Navruz is also colorfully celebrated in the ancient cities of Uzbekistan – Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, etc.

The atmosphere of a truly folk holiday reigns there: the streets are filled with local residents in the most beautiful outfits, songs and dances unfold in the parks, music plays everywhere, delicious pilaf is eaten on the lawns in parks, alluring aromas are also heard from numerous cafes. Finding a place for a great holiday is not difficult. Fun awaits its fans everywhere.

Russian tourists who visited Uzbekistan for the celebration of Navruz last year say that a trip to the country for the spring festival is the best scenario for exploring Uzbekistan.

On the days of Navruz, you can get to know the locals better and fully enjoy their sincerity, see the real life of the country and experience the delight of its versatility, try festive dishes and discover a new palette of tastes. The result is a rich and atmospheric journey.

Alexandra Polyanskaya