Happy Nauryz holidays 2022!

Nauryz holidays are coming to Central Asia. But what means Nauryz? And what’s going on in these days? Info Shymkent will have a look.

Nauryz means New day, and it is an important holiday for Kazakhs. The 21st of March is when day and night have the same length – called the spring equinox.

This day is the beginning of Spring and the Kazakh new year. So past offences are forgiven and everybody makes wishes for a new beginning, for a new year.

Nauryz symbolizes also fertility, friendship and wealth, happiness and love.

Shymkent becomes a festival centre, and traditional Yurts are erected in the streets and places – especially in Central Park. Inside of the Yurts visitors can find big tables filled with many different delicious Kazakh dishes such as: Beshbarmak, Kuyrdak, Baursak and – during this time cooked soup: Nauryz-kozhe.

Nauryz-kozhe is a nutritional rich soup that is cooked from seven ingredients: meat, water, flour, butter, rice or corn, salt and milk. The soup will be put in seven bowls. Each person should invite seven guests and should visit seven other houses.

Around the Yurts many performances and celebrations take place. It’s time for foreigners to learn more about the Kazakh culture. Many Kazakhs wearing traditional dresses, listen to Kazakh songs and play on Kazakh musical instruments like the Dombra.

During the celebration, many youth and kids like to use the Altybakan – a large hanging swing where two people standing on one wooden board. Young men and women take part on the horse games Kyz-kuu and Bayga. You can watch these games in the hippodrome next to Shymkent Zoo and Baidibek Monument during the public holidays.

An interesting fact is that Nauryz was included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the UNESCO in September 2009.

We hope you could learn more and we wish you already some beautiful holidays with your family and friends.

More Information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nowruz