What is Nowruz, the herald of spring, and how is it celebrated? What to eat at the Nowruz table
Nowruz, which dates back to ages ago, exhibits abundance, fertility and the awakening of nature. This important day, which is celebrated with various events every year at this time of the year, has a very important place in Asian and Middle Eastern countries.
Nowruz Festival, which is accepted as the "beginning of the new year", "herald of spring", "nature festival" and has a history of more than 18 centuries, continues to be celebrated with rituals.
So what is Nowruz, what is the meaning of the word? Why is Nowruz celebrated? What to eat at the Nowruz table? All those who are curious about Nevruz, one of the oldest cultural activities in history, are in this article.
Due to the fact that the Huns organized festivals in the spring in the 3rd century BC in Chinese sources, Nevruz, which dates back to those years, is also considered as the day of the Turks' exit from Ergenekon.
In 2010, at the request of Afghanistan, Albania, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Turkey, 21 March was officially accepted as "International Nowruz Day" by the United Nations.
What does Nowruz mean?
This holiday is known with names such as "nevruz", "navruz", "navrız", "novriz", "mavris", "plow toy", "great day of the nation", "cilgayak".
On this special day, which literally means "new day", it is believed that a new year begins with the revival of nature and that the whole year will pass the way it is spent with abundance, abundance, cooperation and solidarity.
Nowruz Festival, which has the most extensive culture in the world, consists of "bad words fasting", "environmental cleaning and destruction", "day of the dead", "visiting the elderly and sick", "children's day", "youth day" and "seven levin". It is carried out in 7 stages.
Two weeks before the Eid, believers fast for bad words. In this context, during Nowruz, where speaking ill of words is considered a sin, everyone tries to forget the troubles and pains of the past year, while the offended ones are reconciled.
Nowruz, which symbolizes the revival of nature with spring after long and harsh winter months, maintains its existence in many geographies from Central Asia to Anatolia with its content that provides social unity, solidarity and cooperation.
Nowruz celebration in Iraq
Where does Nowruz come from and what source is it based on?
Although the celebration of Nevruz is generally associated with the beginning of spring and the revival of nature in all societies, its emergence is based on different legends in every society.
Why is Nowruz celebrated?
Iranians attribute Nowruz to the mythological King Jamshid, who saved the country from the winter that condemned all living things to death. Historians think that Jamshid may represent the transition from the hunter-gatherer lifestyle of the Proto-Iranians to settled and farming.
According to the legend on which the Kurds base Nevruz, the society could not stand the Assyrian King Dehak (Zuhak), who ruled Iran for a thousand years with cruelty, and the king was killed by the blacksmith Kawa. Legend has it that a young man who rescued Dehak, who killed two people every day to feed the snakes on his shoulders, and was later trained by Kawa, is considered to be the ancestor of the Kurds.
For Turks, Nevruz takes its source from the Ergenekon Epic, which tells about the rebirth of the Göktürks. According to the epic, it is told that the Turks, who stayed in a valley surrounded by steep-sided mountains for 400 years, melted the iron part of the mountain and made their way for themselves, and the day they left was March 21. It is believed that this is why Nowruz is celebrated.
Ege University Turkish Folklore Department Lecturer Prof. Dr. Alimcan İnayet summarizes the origin of Nevruz as follows: "Several views have been put forward regarding the origin of Nevruz. One of them is that Nevruz is a Turkish holiday and spread to all of Asia and Europe through the Turks. " Ergenekon is the symbol of the Turks' idea of existence. Nevruz is celebrated to commemorate the exit of the Turks from Ergenekon. Also, Chinese historical sources record that nowruz has been celebrated since the Huns period."
Nowruz preparations
Rituals in Nowruz
The rituals of Nevruz Festival, which is celebrated primarily in Anatolia, Central Asia and various geographies, are passed on from generation to generation.
In some beliefs, those who want to enter the day when the new year starts, free from their sins, jump from the fire. Bathing and jumping out of the water are also among the customs made for purification. Jumping from fire and water draws attention as one of the common elements in all Nowruz celebrations.
Nowruz table
The "Nowruz table", which is set up specially for this day and includes 7 kinds of food, is seated collectively. At the rich table set up for the year to pass with abundance and abundance, everyone eats every meal and wishes the year to pass in that comfort.
The tradition of "Semeni" has been kept alive for many years. In this tradition, barley and wheat are germinated in containers and placed on the table before Nowruz, wishing for a fruitful year in agriculture.
People who welcome the new year by wearing new clothes clean their houses, repair the destroyed places, if any, and whitewash them. Thus, people take care that everything is new in the new year.
Visiting the cemetery in Nevruz is also a common ritual. This ritual is seen as the meeting of ancestors and children. Ancestors are respected during grave visits.
Cracking eggs is also common in Nowruz celebrations. Eggs, which signify reproduction, are dyed and hatched for abundance. In addition, sports competitions are held, songs are sung and danced, poets recite poetry.
Since the history of Nowruz is based on Ergenekon, the exit from Ergenekon by hammering iron is also celebrated that day.
prof. Dr. Alimcan İnayet summarizes the rituals as follows: "Cemeteries are visited, fires are lit and jumped over, eggs are dyed and clinked, semen is prepared, a Nevruz table is set, special soups known as 'köje', 'köjö', 'köcö' are prepared, the game of root is played, wrestling and horse races are organized, epics, stories and stories are told, Nevruznames are sung.”
Nowruz celebrations in Turkey
jump over fire
In Zoroastrianism, where the origins of Nowruz are based, the meaning attributed to fire is quite high. Today, while jumping over it, they are asked to pass on the farsightedness, goodness and purification symbolized by fire. According to another belief, Zoroastrians used to fire Ahriman (Angra Mainyu), the representative of evil, with the great fire they burned every year. Today, it is hoped that the evil will go away by lighting a fire.
Nowruz celebrations in Iran
'Haft Sin' table
Nowruz has a special place in Iran, where it is also seen as the beginning of the new year. It is a must to have 7 foodstuffs that start with the letter S, each with different meanings, on the table where the whole family gathers on the evening of Nowruz.
What to eat in Nowruz celebration?
All of the ingredients on the table, such as wheat crops, aromatic plants, nuts and vinegar , have a different meaning that conveys wishes for health, wealth and happiness for the new year. For example, "sir", meaning garlic in Persian, represents protection from disease and evil, while vinegar (serkeh) represents longevity and patience.
What to eat at the Nowruz table?
In addition to the food, different objects can be placed on the table according to the wishes of the people. It is also a very common practice to put poetry books or the Qur'an for education and enlightenment.
Source: Euronews