The word Nevruz means “new day” in Persian. Nowruz Feast is the Spring Festival, which has been celebrated since the 2nd century. It is celebrated in different ways by people of many geographies, from Central Asia to the Balkans. It is a day that every nation identifies and symbolizes with their own cultural values and the arrival of spring is greeted with enthusiasm. Various activities are held on March 21, which is accepted as the “beginning of the new year”, “herald of spring” and “nature festival”.
It represents the Turks’ melting of the iron mountain from Ergenekon and the awakening of nature. Nowruz, which is accepted as the beginning of the new year; it is tried to be spent in abundance, abundance, cooperation and solidarity. It is widely believed that if it is spent in this way, the whole year will pass like that. Nowruz Feast is held in 7 stages as an event with the largest culture in the world. These stages are; It is in the form of “bad words fasting”, “environmental cleaning and fire”, “day of the dead”, “visiting the old and sick”, “children’s day”, “youth day” and “seven levin”.
Nowruz Festival is celebrated on 21 March every year. While the heat and light are more in the southern hemisphere until this date, they equalize on March 21 and the northern hemisphere begins to warm up. For this reason, the peoples living in the northern hemisphere accept March 21 as the day of awakening and creation of all beings. March 21 has been officially recognized as the “International Nowruz Day” by the United Nations.
It is mentioned in Chinese sources that the Huns held festivals in spring. People who believe in Nowruz Feast fast for bad words, which starts 2 weeks before. During Nowruz, where speaking ill of words is considered a sin, everyone tries to forget the troubles and pains of the previous year, and those who are offended are reconciled.
How Did Nowruz Eid Come About?
The celebration of Nevruz is generally associated with the beginning of spring and the revival of nature in all societies. For this reason, the reason for the emergence in every society is based on different legends. In Iranian culture; There is the mythological King Cemşid belief, who saved the country and all living things from the winter that condemned them to death. Historians Jamshid; He thinks that the Iranian people, who lead a hunter-gatherer life, represent the change of lifestyle and the transition to a settled order.
The Kurds, on the other hand, base Nevruz on another legend. The people could not stand the Assyrian king Dehak, who ruled Iran with cruelty, and the people rebelled and killed the king. According to the legend, Dehak kills 2 people every day to feed the snakes on his shoulders. A young man who saved Dehak from this persecution by killing him is accepted as the ancestor of the Kurds.
Nowruz Feast for Turks; It represents the rebirth of the Göktürks told in the Ergenekon Epic. According to the epic, the Turks, who lived for 400 years in a valley surrounded by steep-sided mountains, made their way by melting the iron part of the mountain. The day they left the region on March 21 is celebrated as Nowruz Festival. It is widely believed that Nevruz is a Turkish holiday in its origin and spread to all of Asia and Europe through the Turks. The Ergenekon Epic forms the basis of the Nevruz tradition.
Traditions of Nowruz
Celebrated in various geographies such as Central Asia, especially in Anatolia, the events held in Nevruz Festival are transferred from generation to generation. Activities differ according to beliefs. On that day when a new year begins, people who want to be cleansed of their sins start a fire and jump over it. It is also believed that fire will drive away evil. Bathing or jumping out of the water for purification is also among the traditions. Jumping from fire and water is one of the common elements in all Nowruz celebrations.
In order for the year to pass in abundance and abundance, Nevruz tables are set with 7 kinds of food. The table is set together and everyone who eats the meal wishes that year to pass in abundance and comfort. A group visit is made to the cemetery. This visit signifies respect for the ancestors.
Another practice is a tradition called “semen”, which symbolizes abundance and fertility in agriculture. Before Nowruz Feast, various legumes such as barley, wheat and chickpeas are germinated in containers and placed on the table. People who welcome Nowruz by wearing beautiful clothes clean their houses, repair any ruined places, paint and whitewash beforehand. Thus, care is taken to ensure that everything is cleaner and more attentive in the new year.
In the celebrations of Nevruz Festival, eggs symbolizing reproduction, abundance and fertility are painted and clinched together. During the feast, various sports competitions are organized, songs are sung, danced and poems are recited. At the same time, on March 21, which symbolizes Ergenekon, the exit from Ergenekon is celebrated by hammering iron.
