Nouruz Bayramy

NewrouzNewrouz (translated from Farsi New Day) - New Year according to the Zoroastrian solar calendar. It begins on the day of the spring equinox. After the Arab conquest of the ancestral homeland of Zoroastrianism in Persia and the implantation of Islam, it lost its magical meaning, becoming just an excuse to relax once again. Nouruz is still celebrated by the peoples of Central Asia, Azerbaijan and Transcaucasia as a national holiday, and in Iran and Afghanistan, where, despite the persecution, many followers of Zarathustra survived, is an official New Year celebration. However, the origins of this festival go back to pagan times.

Nauruz was an ancient Iranian agricultural festival. Peasants from time immemorial celebrated it as the beginning of spring fieldwork, accompanying the fun with the usual rituals designed to promote a bountiful harvest. With the formation of Zoroastrianism (sun worship) and the formation of astronomy, this ritual was confined to the circle of the Sun. So progress added to the popular ceremony of greeting spring sacred content. But in fact, almost all denominational festivities, not just Newrouz Bayrami, come from rural feasts related to weather events.

In fact, Islam had nothing against fire worshipers. Moreover, many branches of Islam, especially its Shia branch, have absorbed key beliefs of the Persians. This is explained by the same as the coincidence of the dates of Orthodox and Old Slavic celebrations in Russia. People are conservative and do not yield well to new ideas, and it is easier for the clergy to come to terms with this than to forcefully inculcate an externally imported faith. But how did the Iranian rite get into the Turkey Holidays section?

First, the Turkish Republic is home to 12 million Kurds, who in antiquity inhabited the fabulous Media Kingdom. Naturally, most of them are assimilated, moreover, adhere to Sunnism, which according to statistics is practiced by about 75% of Turks. This is due to the government’s efforts to unify the Turkish state. Nevertheless, some Kurds remain faithful to the precepts of their ancestors and belong either to the admirers of Zarathustra (it is impossible not to notice that fire worship often pushes Kurdish fighters for independence to self-immolation), or to Aliites (aliism - the doctrine of the Shiite wing). For a Kurd living in Ankara who has forgotten his native language, Nauruz Bayramy is often the only reminder of his identity.

Secondly, after the attempt to abolish Nouruz Bayrami in 1966, the Turkish authorities, in order to ensure that it ceased to be a celebration of infidels, claim that in essence it is an old Turkic tradition. On this day, the National Lottery even issues a special circulation.

According to the signs, what a person sees at first sight on the first day of Newrouz Bayramy will accompany him for a whole year. Thus, during the celebration, people should be surrounded by things that indicate good intentions and happiness, health and longevity, luck in all endeavors and prosperity. These items have long been considered wine, barley sprouts or pieta cakes, and coins (now their place has been taken by bills). The indispensable signs of Nowruz Bayram are the sacred fire, which today gave way to fireworks and special "fire-breathing" dragons. In present-day Turkey, the presentations of folklore groups on the occasion of Nauruz Bayrami are also generally accepted.

In Shia, Navruz Bayrami comes on March 9.