Navröz March 21, 2008

21st of March (vernal equinox) is celebrated as a traditional New Year in Uzbekistan and many other countries in the region.

“Nowrūz is the traditional Iranian new year holiday celebrated in Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Albania, Bahrain, Armenia, Georgia, the countries of Central Asia such as Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan, as well as among various other Iranian and Turkic peoples in Iraqi Kurdistan, Syria, Lebanon, Pakistan, India, Northwestern China, the Caucasus, the Crimea, and the Balkans.” (From the Wikipedia article.)

In Uzbekistan, it is considered a state holiday. And it is spring indeed, as the temperature in Tashkent is around 27 degrees Celsius today.

Happy holidays! :-)