Name : Shebnem School : School lyceum# 220, Baku, Azerbaijan Class :7
Azerbaijan Holidays
NOVRUZ HOLIDAY Novruz is a National Holiday in Azerbaijan. Novruz is one of the oldest holidays in the world. It‘s a universal holiday. It belongs to many peoples of the world. People celebrate Novruz as the birthday of nature and life. The Azerbaijanis celebrate Novruz on 21st of March. On this day the sun crosses the equator and lightens the whole planet. We also call it ―Spring Holiday.
Typical Novruz table is prepared with various items including: candles, fresh flowers, nuts, sweets, local pastries, dried fruits, dyed eggs, and the samani, a newly sprouted wheat. Samani symbolizes the beginning of new life, prosperity and abundance. Almost every family grows one but you can also buy them in bazar. To ensure that samani is ready for Novruz, it should be sown about 2 weeks in advance.
Celebrations began four weeks before the actual day of festivity. These four weeks - or, exactly four Wednesdays - were each devoted to one of the four elements and called correspondingly, although names varied from location to location. They were: Su Charhshanba (Water Wednesday), Odlu Charhshanba (Flame Wednesday), Torpaq Charhshanba (Earth Wednesday), Akhir Charhshanba (Last Wednesday). According to folk beliefs, on Water Wednesday 'water renewed and dead-water came to stir'; the Flame Wednesday was believed the day of fire rebirth; on Earth Wednesday the earth revived. On the Last Wednesday the wind opened tree buds and spring arrived.
The first Wednesday to air, the second one - to water, the third to the earth, and the fourth one - to trees (plants). It meant: on first Wednesday air warms, water on the second, the third week means the earth to wake, the fourth one stands for trees and plants to revivify. The most important of the Wednesdays was the Akhir Charhshanba (Last Wednesday before the vernal equinox) and most of important rites and ceremonies were delivered that day which concerned all the aspects of human life. Those rites were intended to provide welfare for an individual, his family and the community in general, to get rid of the old year's troubles and to avert a calamity.
WATER WEDNESDAY
AKHIR WEDNESDAY
FLAME WEDNESDAY
EARTH WEDNESDAY
Solidarity day
SOLIDARITY DAY Every year on 31 December Azerbaijanies celebrate International Solidarity Day of Azerbaijanis of the world. Its official celebration day fell on 31 December. The main idea of this holiday is the unity and solidarity of the Azerbaijanis from all over the world, respect of national and spiritual values, as well as belongingness to the historical homeland; as per approximate data the majority of the Azerbaijanis live outside the territory of their historical homeland. Over 30,000 Azerbaijanis, several times the number of inhabitants of Azerbaijan itself, live in the territory of Iran, that is why International Solidarity Day is important as a symbol that in spite of long distances, the Azerbaijani people is still united.
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