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Cultures and Traditions: Azerbaijan

Novruz: An important holiday in Azerbaijan

Novruz holidays is one of the greatest, oldest national holidays in our country. We usually celebrate Novruz on the 21st of March as the beginning of the New year. There have never been such second holiday which will be described traditions, customs, songs, faiths. The grand grandparents take the spring equal to gold. According to the oldest faith and traditions four last Tuesdays are considered holies. Each Tuesday has its characteristic pecularity such as awakening of nature, water, fire, wind, earth.
March begins with the water Tuesday. It is the first Tuesday of the four holies. On this Tuesday everybody goes to spring washes hands and face in the early morning and splashes the water to one another and jump over the water. Water was considered to be the health according to the old belief. They say on this day who jumps over the water all diceases will be fly away the whole year. We are able to make green everywhere & to plant trees, flowers with the help of water.
The second holy Tuesday is Fire Tuesday. The children make bonfire and jump over it, singing songs. According to the old belief the more fire the man make the more light he will have in his life. That is why our country is called "The lands of fire". Fire is the symbol of clearness. It means that the fire cleans bad things from the life & bad ideas from the heart of the people, brings the people health and strength.
The third Tuesday is Wind Tuesday. According to the old belief they say that the blowing wind walks everywhere, awakes fire, water and the earth from its winter sleep. The hot wind gives information coming of the spring.
The last Tuesday is the Earth Tuesday. It is arranged the chief Tuesday of the last Tuesday. With the coming of the last Tuesday the Sun begins to shine brightly, the weather gets warmer and snow begins to melt in the mountains and fields, the earth awakens from its winter sleep and birds of passage return to our places, violets and snowdrops begin to peep through the ground in the gardens and forests. According to the old belief the earth has got strength and mighty from previous Tuesdays. The last Tuesday means abundance, prosperity, the light of delight.We celebrate the last Tuesday as a great holiday. We decorate khoncha and burn candles for each person, cook fasali, shakarbura, gogal, pakhlava, dye eggs. We put sweets, small kind of raisns, dates, nuts, walnuts on the tray. We put fresh flowers on the table. Theremust be samani (growing wheat seeds) on the table as a symbol of spring and prosperity.

Samani

Samani brings freshness, beauty with its coming. Everywhere looks fresh and beautiful in the Novruz evening. A cultivator, having made preparations for sowing the seed which he had sprouted, sings:
Samani, save me now
And you I'll annually grow.

The songs once more do testify the close association of Novruz with the life of the cultivator. People is waiting for Novruz impatiently and meet it with great pleasure. You see what a nice holiday Novruz is. There are some proverbs about Tuesday, too.

Defend your Earth, land as the apple of your eyes.
Don't allow your Earth being in the alien hands.

Our Folks say who loses a day in the spring he loses a month in summer and a year in winter.

Holidays in AZERBAIJAN

National Holidays

New Year	January 1
International Women's Day	March 8
Novruz Bayramy	March 20-21
Victory Day	May 9
Republic Day	May 28
National Salvation Day	June 15
National Army Day	June 26
State Independence Day	October 18
Constitution Day	November 12
National Revival Day	November 17
Solidarity Day of all Azeri people	December 31

Religious Holidays

Ramazan Bayram	every year the date moves
Gurban Bayram	Moved

Memorable Days

Memorial Day of Victims	January 20
Memorial Day of XODJALI	February 26
The Day of genocide of Azerbaijanis	March, 31

International Women's Day - March, 8 Celebrates women

Victory Day - May, 9 - Day of celebration of the II World War veterans

Republic Day - May, 28 - The Azerbaijan Republic. The revival again finds the independence

Novruz Bayram - March, 20-21
In Ancient times Novruz meant beginning of the New year, of spring, awakening of life. According to the people's calendar, in Azerbaijan the year is divided into four seasons. Before Novruz` coming, everybody celebrated the 4th Wednesday "Chershenbe", that corresponds to four life elements - water, fire, ground and air. The culmination of the holiday is the day of Novruz.

On that day, the old year gives all its power to the new year. The joyful, merry holiday of Novruz, having a lot of customs, ceremonies, performances, games and songs, was and is now the spiritual wealth of the Azerbaijan people. Mass festive gatherings are organized on that day.

National Salvation Day - June, 15
On that day, Heydar Aliyev returned to the leadership of the Republic. Positive changes which resulted from this event; political - economical stabilization of the country, and recognition all over the world make this day a state holiday.

Independence Day - October, 18
On that day in 1991, the constitutional act "About the State Independence of the Republic" was adopted.

Constitution Day - November, 12
On that day, in a referendum by all eligible people, the Azerbaijan Republic Constitution was adopted and also, within the framework of the conclusion, was the Contract of the Century for the first oil.

National Revival Day - November, 17
On that day in 1988, a meeting of several days began in Azadlig square in Baku. This meeting was organized by the students of the Republic. In 1992 this day became a holiday.

Solidarity Day for all Azeri people - December, 31
On that day in Istanbul, the 1st World Congress of the Azeri people took place. The Holiday was established in 1992.

(Ramazan Bayram)-the last day of Ramadan is called Id-al-Fitr Day. As is implied from the name of this holiday, the faithful, who have been fasting for a month, bring a fitr to a representative of the crergy. A Fitr is a gift. It is usually food or money, and quite often both. During this holiday there are many congratulations, entertainments and visits.

Gurban Bayram The holiday of sacrifices, which is the most respected among Moslem holidays. It is celebrated 70 days after the end of Uraza Bairam (Ramazan Bairam).

This holiday is connected with the Biblical prediction about the prophet Abraham (Ibragim), who wants to sacrifice his son Isaac (Ismail) to God. At the last moment God sends the archangel Gabriel (Jabrail) with a lamb and saves Abraham's son. To commemorate this day, each Moslem must sacrifice (gurban) a sheep or some other animal, while reading prayers and then distribute the meat among the poor.

In night on January 20, 1990 Soviet troops had been brought into Azerbaijan. This is a memorial day of martyrs, who gave theirs lives for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.