Nooruz

What is it

Nooruz is celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox, when day equals night and winter releases its grip. The house is cleaned, debts are paid, grievances are forgiven, and sumolok is cooked from sprouted wheat. For a cattle breeder, this is also a practical date: winter has passed, the livestock is alive, and soon it is time to head to the mountain pastures.

For the workshop

Nooruz is the main seasonal peak of the year and an occasion for which a gift is appropriate without explanation. Motifs of spring and renewal — seeds, tree of life, cycle — work here literally, not metaphorically.

Recognition

Navruz was included by UNESCO in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009 as a multinational element; in 2016, the list of participating countries was expanded.