Archive for June, 2010
Nations Gather to Celebrate Nauriz
June 2nd, 2010
Nauriz, a term derived from the Persian word Nowruz meaning “New Day” or New Light”, is a non-religious folk event celebrated in various parts of South Asia, Central Asia, Northwestern China, Crimea as well as in various ethnic groups. This traditional Iranian festival originally lasted from three to nine days and is celebrated by holding a festival program with Aytis, horse races, and the like.
For this year, numerous community members and diplomats from different countries have gathered to welcome the ancient Persian-Turkic New Year. Representatives from Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyz Republic, Ukraine as well as the US have celebrated the Nauriz festival in Kazakhstan. The group gathered for a black-tie Nauriz reception at the Great Hall of the Library of Congress.
During the event, the numerous diplomats and community members were given the chance to discover more about the tradition followed by the Nauriz nations. Representatives from nations of Persian and Turkish descent took turns in explaining how each of their countries celebrated Nauriz. To this end, they even brought some of their handmade jewelry, traditional attire and food. In addition to that cultural show and tell, everyone who went and joined the gathering enjoyed a concert program, which featured several acts from Kyrgyz, Tajik, Iranian, and Kazakh musicians.
The event was organized by the new Nowruz Commission, a group composed of notable US representatives as well as several high ranking foreign officials. This newly established Nowruz Commission was formed to permanently serve as an organizer for the annual celebration of Nauriz as well as to educate the American public regarding the universality of the ancient celebration.
Due to the success of the black-tie Nauriz celebration, the Embassy of Kazakhstan OSCE was grateful for the effort exerted by the Nowruz Commission as well as for the event’s honorary chairmen: Howard Berman and Ed Royce.
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