Nauryz

Бектасова Баян

О.Жандосов атындағы

орта мектептің

ағылшын тілі пәнінен мұғалімі

Алматы облысы,

Қарасай ауданы

Жандосов ауылы

Nauryz

Nauryz is one of the oldest holidays on Earth. This holiday of spring and the renewed life of the Earth has been celebrated for over five thousand years by many cultures of the Middle and Central Asia and, according to some sources, by eastern Slavs as well.

Kazakh people usually put on the table a lot of foodstuff such as milk ,kefir, camel milk ,wheat ,corn ,oats ,etc .It is implied the nice wishes namely plenty of rain and rich harvest for the coming year. Nauryz holiday are considered by some people as a religious holiday .Nowadays there are two approaches of Islamic scientists to the celebration of  Nauryz. One approach says that Nauryz can be celebrated .The first approach is based on a book named ‘Mashkatul masabih’, where Nauryz holiday is examined as the holiday of Zarostrizm religion .Muslims should not imitate others, because Islam is the last religion and it should not base on the previous religions and it has not repeat them. The previous religions were modified by people and time .The second approach is based on  a story written in the ‘Baghdad history’ book .One day father of Abu Hanifa brought  sweets of the Nauryz holiday to Ali (Ali was one of the influential religious figure/sahaba/.He was called as ‘Spring of the Science’)and said to him about a reason for the preparation of these sweets. Ali took those sweets .If the celebration of this holiday was not right then Ali should put an end to the celebration of  Nauryz or should not take the sweets. So, there was  considered two approaches for the celebration of Nauryz. In fact ,the Nauryz holiday is not a muslim holiday ,in  other words it is not a religious celebration.

Nauryz  is called by Kazakh people as ‘Ulistin uli kuny’(the Great Day).The reason for that is Nauryz advocates the unity ,relationship ,friendship ,mercy and a good way of thinking of people to each other .

At night of the 22^nd  of March, young women prepare a special meal such as ‘Uiky ashar (Waking -up)’for men which they like very much. ‘Uiky ashar’is prepared by cooking of the last meat from sogim(horse or cattle meat for the winter)in the ‘uiz’(very nutritious milk of cattle after giving a birth).As regards young men ,they give the presents called like  ‘Selt etkizer’  or  ‘Dir etkizer’                  (a surprising thing ) to the young women.

Villagers clime up to a hill on 22^nd of March to meet the dawn with a nice wishes namely let be many sunny ,bright days in their life all year around.

Also ,the annual weather could be forecasted by an appearance of the dawn and the sun .After meeting of the dawn ,people start their preparations to celebrate the Nauryz .Men take tools which were prepared previously and start to clean the mineral spring and surrounding areas of their houses .Women fill all utensils with the foodstuff .A lot of ‘nauryz  kozhe’(a special national soup)is prepared .Then, people wear their beautiful clothes and go out to celebrate Nauryz

No one thinks badly about someone in the 22^nd of Nauryz .The offences of the Old Year will be forgotten and the relationships between people will be re-established .If people who took offence to each other or one to another eat some food from the one table then it will be considered that they restore their friendship. Exhibitions , various concerts ,sport competitions, ‘altibakan’(national swing) ,and activities based of national traditions such asu ‘kiz uzatu’ (to see of young woman from her parents home to her husband side), ‘kelin tusiru’ (meeting of  a bride ),

‘besikke boleu’ (putting of a baby on the cradle),tusau kesu’(celebration of walking of a baby) are conducted during Nauryz too.

After grand opening of the Nauryz holiday ,a theatrical performance is presented to the general public .In this performance ,three main figures are played namely an old man represents ’Kidir ata’(a man who wishes happiness) and ‘Az-Mirza’ represents cold (winter) and ‘Ysh bikesh’ represents summer.

The history of Nauryz has been complicated. The totalitarian Soviet system did not recognize the existence of any national identity and any reference to traditional heritage was considered to be an anachronism and remnants of the past. Nauryz was cancelled in 1926. It was first recreated in Kazakhstan only in 1988 and was extremely popular. Officially, Nauryz was recognized on 15 March 1991 by a Presidential Decree. The President declared 22 March, the day of the spring equinox, a holiday.
Since then, Nauryz has been widely celebrated across the whole country. Of course, the modern festival is essentially different from the old. It is not only about staged shows, ornate yurts, and delicious Nauryz-kozhe. It is also about charitable events, folk sporting games, tending of plants, planting trees, cleaning of parks, streets and squares.
Nowadays, it has become a truly national holiday of spring, work and unity. It is dear to all the peoples living in the multinational Kazakhstan. The ancient holiday of Nauryz has naturally become a part of the modern life, preserving the old traditions.

The main  meal of the holiday is ‘Nauryz kozhe’. At least seven components are in the composition of the kozhe .These components are water ,milk, salt ,butter, meat, wheat  and grape (raisins).The  adding of such components implies the followings:

       Water-let be the coming summer rainy;

Milk-let be white foodstuff plenty;

       Salt-taste of meal comes with the salt;

Butter-let be a cauldron full of meals;

Meat-farewell to the winter sogum and beginning of using new ,fresh meat for      meals;

       Wheat-let  be the rich harvest

      Grape or carrot-let be a lot of vegetables in the New Year