Navruz customs

A festival thousands of years old

Navruz (Persian for ‘new day’) marks the spring equinox and has been celebrated in what is now Uzbekistan for at least two thousand years. Under Soviet rule it was not officially recognised and at times banned; since independence it has become a nationwide celebration. In 2009 Navruz was inscribed on UNESCO’s list in a joint nomination by Uzbekistan and other countries, and in 2010 the UN General Assembly proclaimed 21 March the International Day of Nowruz. For dates and days off, see our ‘Navruz holiday’ entry.

Before the holiday homes and streets are spring-cleaned in hashar work days, new clothes are bought and relatives and neighbours visit one another. In old communities such as Baysun, a sowing ritual with food offerings is held on the eve of Navruz.

Food and games

The defining dish is sumalak, which women and girls stir all night around the cauldron, singing and making wishes, before sharing it with the neighbours in the morning. Halim simmers in cauldrons, and spring greens go into ko‘k somsa and green chuchvara dumplings. Children go from house to house singing ‘Boychechak’ (‘Snowdrop’). Fairs feature kurash wrestling and folk games, and villages stage kupkari — Navruz is the busiest season for the horseback game. If someone offers you sumalak, accept: it is a gesture of goodwill and a wish for plenty.