Happy Nauryz!!!!

“Nauryz” means the “birth of spring”. Nauryz is the holiday of welcoming spring and the renewed life of the Earth. Its other name is “Ұлыс күні” (Ulys Kuni “The first day of the new year”) or “Ұлыстын ұлы күні” (Ulystyn Uly Kuni “The great day of the people”). It has been celebrated for over five thousand years by many cultures of the Middle and Central Asia.

This holiday has been celebrated on 22 March, the day of the spring equinox. According to the ancient Oriental calendar it is the New Year, relatively speaking. By the way that's why the Kazakhs people call the month of March Nauryz.

People believed that the generous celebration of the Nauryz holiday brings wealth and success in the coming year. That’s why people would clean their homes, pay back their debts and do other stuffs like that. If Nauryz entered the house, all diseases and failures would pass it by. :)

The Kazakhs attached special importance to the number of seven during the Nauryz celebrations because it symbolized the seven days of the week. Every person should visit 7 places and invite 7 guests. Seven bowls with the Nauryz-kozhe (porridge which is made from seven types of grain) would be put in front of the aksakals (respectable old people). The meals were composed of seven components, usually meat, salt, fat, onions, wheat, kurt (a type of cheese) and irimshik (a kind of cottage cheese). The celebration always included mass games, traditional horse races and other competitions and during the day, everybody tried to be in good spirits, would give a big hug to each other and wish good fortune and happiness to others.

Ұлыстын Ұлы күні - Наурыз мейрамы кұтты болсын!!! Еліміз тыныш, аспанымыз ашық болсын! We would like to congratulate all of you with Nauriz and wish happiness and luck in New Year!!! As well as, have a good Easter Break!!!

Mariya and Raissa

International Ambassadors for Kazakhstan :)