Nevruz Celebrations in Türkiye and Central Asia

NEVRUZ

Nevruz Celebrations in Türkiye and Central Asia

The day accepted as the New Years day by Turks living in Central Asia, Anatolian Turks and the Persians is called Nevruz. It is a combination of Persian words Nev (New) and Ruz (Day). It corresponds to March 22nd according to the western and March 9th according to the Moslem calendars, when the day and the night are equal.

It is also known as Nevruz-i Sultani, Sultan Nevruz, Sultan Navrız and Mart Dokuzu.

Despite its identificatons with Persians, as can be seen on the Twelve Animal Turkish Calendar, it was known among Turks for a very long time and was celebrated with ceremonies.

The main interpretation about Nevruz regarding Turks is the fact that it is celebrated as a day of salvation. That is, it is the day of leaving Ergenekon. Hence Nevruz was accepted as the beginning of the new year by Turks and has survived until the present with its festive celebrations.

Among the Turkish communites of the Central Asia the Azeri, Kazak, Khırghız, Türkmen, Uzbek and Uygur Turks; the Anatolian Turks and Balkan Turks have kept the Nevruz traditon alive until our times.

Kazakhstan

Kazaks have Mevlid prayers during Nevruz ceremonies. The houses are given a through cleaning and people wear their newest clothes. During the Nevruz celebrations, earthenware cups are thrown to the house walls or onto furniture and shattered. There is jumping over fire. It is known that jumping over the fire is done to rid oneself from the evils and sicknesses of the past year and to enter the new one in good health. The Kazaksh call the meal they cook for nevruz "Nevruz - köcö". They also prepare another dish called Nevruz soup or soft rice, "lapa" and these are distributed to the neighbours on that day.

Kyrgyzstan

The Kyrgyz call the first day of the new year Nooroz and prepare and eat a special dish on that day called "Nooruz köcö". "Köce" is type of "tirit" - gravy soaked bread to which cracked wheat or whurled millet is added. "Auz köcö" is also one of the special dishes of this day.

The year of the Kyrgyzs start with the Nevruz festival held on the day where day and night are equal. Their New Year celebration is on March 22nd.

Uzbekistan

In Semerkand, Buhara and Andican regions of Uzbekistan Nevruz celebrations start on the day of Nevruz and continues for a week. The people call these Nevruz festivities "Seyil Festivities". Seyil sites are filled with carrousels, musicians, "beççe"s and vendors. On the first day of Nevruz people move from tent to tent and greet each other. The food offered during these visits is a rice which is called "aş". In addition to this dish, tea and various fruits are also served. Games and sports such as "köpkari", wrestling, horse races and cock fights are organized. Plays inspired by Nevruz celebrations are staged

Turkmenistan

Türkmens call the first say of the new year Novruz. Five or six days before Novroz each Türkmen family starts house cleaning. Also food and dishes such as Türkmen pastry, Türkmen petir, külce, greasy börek, şekşeke, koko, bovursak and Turkmen polov are prepared. It is believed that more the food, better the chances of having a good year. Semeni is the special Nevruz food.

It is prepared jointly by a couple of families by adding flour and sugar to wheat in a big cauldron. Semeni which is started to cook the day before, is readied for the morning of March 21st.

Azarbaijan

In Azarbaijan, Nevruz lasts for three days. It is celebrated with big ceremonies during 21-23 March every year. The most important day after Nevruz is "ahir çerşenbe" (the last Wednesday). It is also called "ilin ahir tek tek" day. The Wednesdays of the four weeks of the Bayram month are also important. This is called "üskü". The men who visit the cemetery on Tuesday before the "ahi çerşenbe" pray and come back. Women go to the cemetery with the halva, rice and other dishes they have prepared. Koran is read and after the prayers the food is distributed to the poor and the cemetery is left after 1-2 hours.

In Azarbaijan, the night which joins Tuesday into Wednesday is "ahir-çerşenbe". The list of things to be done on "ahis şerşenbe" is led by washing and cleanng of the house, furniture and dishes. Besides the custom of burning harmal which is called "pülenberi", a night of "yeddi-levin" is organized which has to have at least seven fruits. The "gapı pusma" custom is the one where the young people make a wish and then eavesdrop at neighbours' doors. The first word to be heard leads to pro or con interpretations regarding the new year.

Another custom of the "ahir çerşenbe" is the "throwing rings in the water" game. A basin filled with water is placed at the center of the room. The girls who circle the basin throw their rings in the basin, which is then covered with a cloth. One of the girls says a message and picks a ring from the water and the message is supposed to be for the owner of the ring.

Waterside customs : The next day, before sun rises, a trip is made to the water source. Hands and faces are washed. Girls tie the thumbs of their hands together and jump over the water. They then cut the string tying their thumbs and throw it in the water. Thus they believe that their fortune will turm and they will find a husband.

Those coming to the waterside pick seven small stones from the spring and place them at the bottom of the water pitcher. These stones remain there until next "ahir çerşenbe". On the way from the water three bramble branches are picked and brought to the house. These also remain wherever they are hung until the next "ahir çerşenbe".

The day before Nevruz is called "baca-baca". The hard boiled eggs painted different colours are given to children who travel from door to door. On this day children go around in groups and chant folk sayings or songs such as

Nevruz, Nevruz for spring
Roses roses for string
Let roses be in our garden
Let there be roses, let there be nightingales

The children play games in open areas with their eggs or knucklebones.

On the night of the "baca-baca" day, there is the custom of "throwing shawls from the chimneys". In the afternoon, once again fires are burned and jumped over and when the night comes children drop cloth bags tied to long ropes down the chimneys of their relatives. The occupant of the hous ties a gift to the shawl, which is guessed to be the most appropriate for the thrower of the bag.

On the morning of the "yedd-levin" night, a "küflen" (swing) is hung onto a tree with a thick rope. Young girls and boys take turns and swing. This game is given names such as küfdibi or küfyeli. The one swinging on the küflen recites folk sayings and those around answer him or her.

On the feast day, men and women gather seperately and greetings are exchanged.The houses of those who have deceased within that year are visited. Mourning on this day is considered to be a sin. With house visits, food such as sugar, rice, eggs etc. are distributed to the needy. Visits to friends and the ailing are important.

Nevruz is celebrated as Nevruz by Karapapaks; as Nevrez or Gündönümü by Chrimian Turks; as Mevris by Western Thrace Turks; and as Sultan-ı Navrız by Macadenonian and Cosova Turks.

Türkiye

Nevruz, given names such as "Sultan-ı Nevruz", Nevruz Sultan", "Mart Dokuzu" and "Mart Bozumu" continues to survive in the whole society, with its traditions.

Among Tahtacı Türkmens, so name because of their preoccupation with wood working, Nevruz holiday is the 9th of old March and is called Sultan Nevruz. It is celebrated on 22-23 March when the Tahtacı Türkmens move to "yayla" - the high plateaus. They accept it as a day on which the dead are feasted. Here, the ancestor cult of the old Turkish belief system makes itself apparent.

March 22nd, the day before, is the time for welcoming Nevruz, and is devoted to Nevruz preperations. Washing is done and food is prepared. Pastry with spinach, eggs dyed with onion skins, thin pastry breads, sarı - burma sweets, candy, roasted chick peas (leblebi) and Turkish delight are among the dishes and food eaten on the Nevruz day. Meanwhile, cose relatives and neighbours start visiting back and forth.

Day starts early on the morning of March 23rd. New and clean clothes are put on and a visit is paid to the cemetery with the already prepared food. At the graves, coffee is made using available facilities and people chat. Everybody is obliged to visit the neighbouring graves and drink coffee and tea. Later, people come together to eat. At that stage there is also music and songs and folk songs are sung. Swings are made at the trees. Children fly kites which are called "bayrak" (flag).

In the afternoon, the women put appetizers on a large plate and abide by the "share distribution " custom. Food is given to passerbys and a goodwill expression, "hope it is worthwile for the soul of the dead" is said in response.

After eating, members of the family one by one kiss the tombstones and leave the cemetery .

In the evening, neighbours and relatives continue with their eating and drinking, fun and talks. This goes on all night.

During this holiday everybody is cheerful. The mistakes are foregiven. Participation in the celebrations is mandatory and those who don't, are excluded by the village folk.

Among the Yörük nomads Nevruz means the end of winter and beginning of sprng. It is celebrated on March 22nd at villages and yaylas and on the first Sunday following Nevruz if it is not a Sunday in the cities. Villagers start moving towards the mountains on the morning of March 22nd. Those who have arived earlier and settled in buildings called "davar evi" (cattle house) play host to their relatives and neighbours coming from the village. When the group at the yayla and the arrivals meet, a single shot is fired and they greet each other saying, "Happy Nevruz and may your seed be plenty and good for you". The arriving guests are settled in tents and offered food and refreshments. The meat of the sacrificied animals of the herd owners is consumed collectively. In Yörüks of Sünni sect, people join the prayers said by the imam and they praise the God.

Entertainment is organized by the young people, there is feasting, songs and folk songs are sang and games are played. The fun and games contiue into the late night.

For our citizens who are of the Alevi - Bektaşi belief Nevruz is related to :

1- the fact that it is known as the birthday of Prophet Ali

2- the fact that it is the wedding day of prophetAli and Fatma

3- the end of winter and the arrival of spring and the start of moving to the mountains from the sites settled for the winter.

On the morning of Nevruz, after the prayers said by the mürşid, people drink milk. Poems called Nevruziye and the Mevlid (birth story) of Prophet Ali are recited. This day is celebrated with candy, syrups and refreshments.

Nevruz is called "Sultan Navrız" at Gaziantep and its environs. According to folk belief, Sultan Navrız is a pretty girl who moves from west to east at an indetermined hour on the night connecting March 22nd to March 23rd, her ankle bracelets, clincking, while she works on her embroidery. According to some other belief, it is a sainted person again with clinking ankle bracelets who has entered the "hide of a bird". It is believed that all the wishes of those who are awake as Sultan Nevruz passes shall be fulfilled.

Hence, all the cups at the house are filled with water, and a vigil is kept until the morning, and water is also left at the courtyard in a basin so as to reflect the moon and people worship night long. According to local beliefi if the wish is accepted then the water in this basin will turn into gold. The next morning, everybody goes to recreation and picnic areas, where they eat and play various games.

In Diyarbakır, people go to picnics and recreation areas on the Nevruz day to celebrate.

The Nevruz night is sacred for the people of Eastern Anatolia. They believe that beings, animate or inanimate, bow to God on this night. On that day, the year long fate of each person is determined. Everybody puts on nice and new clothes and prepares for the new year. Food is prepared at the houses , visits follow one other and the poor are helped. On the Night before March 17th, the head of the household collects small stones equal to the number of family members and places them on the outside edge of the chimmney. The stones representing each person are defined beforehand. When the stones are checked on the morning of the holiday, the one with a ladybird under it means good luck for that person. The family believes that the God is giving their livelihood because of that lucky member of the family.

Another tradition seen at some parts of Anatolia in March is the tradition of "Black Wednesday" and encompasses the first Wednesday of March. Ceremonies take place on this date, various dishes are prepared and eaten together. On the same night the young people make a wish and eavesdrop on their neighbours. Working the churn in complete silence is another widely seen custom.

In Kars and its environs, the men smear black on their foreheads and go to the water springs. They clean these marks there, pray and make wishes. Other practices can also be seen, which carry with them a desire to rid oneself from evil and troubles.

A custom related to "Black Wednesday" is known as chimney scratching or stone placing, where stones representing the family members are palaced around the chimney. The underside of the stones left overnight are checked in the morning. Whichever stone has an insect under it means that, the person represented by that stone will have a significant role in determining the fate of the household.

For the game called "pamuk iğne", two girls from the village cleance themselves as religion demands and taking a tinned pot go to the water which is frozen over. They break the ice and immerse the pot in water, recite a certain prayer for seven times and remove the pot.

Another custom is interpretation as to the future spouse by young boys or girls who have eaten the pastry known as "salted gılik" the night before.

Nevruz is known as "Mart Dokuzu" (March the 9th) particularly in Central Anatolia. Similar to other regions, people get up very early on the morning of March 22nd, cemeteries are visited and wishes are made. The person who wants to make wish picks one pebble from each grave and thus collects forty pebbles. He or she puts them in a bag, makes the wish and hangs the bag at home. It is believed that if the wish is accepted, the number of pebbles in the bag will turn out to be forty one. The pebbles are returned on the next Mart Dokuzu, wheter or not the wish is fulfilled.

After visits there is feasting, games are played, wishes are made and entertainments are organized and big bone fines are lighted. On the night of 22-23 march, folk plays are performed. These fun and games continue until late into the night.

Among other Nevruz customs observed in Anatolia "Mart ipliği", where pieces of cloth are tied to the tree so as to protect it from the sun and "Mart bozumu" seen in Giresun in particular, are more significant. In Mart bozumu, water taken from river is sprinkled to the houses. People wait for a visitor who is known as bringer of good luck to come and say " I am untying your March".

In Tekirdağ, Nevruz is accepted as the end of cold weather and the beginning of spring and is celebrated with "Nevruz Festivities".

At Edirne, people go to picnic areas for Nevruz celebrations which are carried out on March 22nd, old straw mats are burned and jumped over. Kırklareli celebrates Nevruz as "Mart Dokuzu". It is celebrated by preparing various food and going to picnics.

While Nevruz is celebrated at Urla district of İzmir with the name "Mart Dokuzu Festivities"; at Tire another district, it iscurrently known as "Sultan Nevruz Holiday".

Nevruz celebrations are quite widespread at Uşak. The term "yıl yenilendi" (the year has been renewed" is used for this day.

In Sivas, if thunder is heard on Mart Dokuzu, it is taken for a sign that shows that harvest will be plenty that year.

In Şebinkarahisar, it is beieved that, if one baths in running river water on the morning of March 22nd that person will gain strength and good health.

We know that the old calendar started with March. The first twelve days of March represented each month and the occurences of the whole year were determined during the first twelve days. The custom was to eat on that day seven pairs of food, but only those whose names started with an S.

We see that Ottoman Sultans paid special attention to Nevruz. On Nevruz days Sultans were greeted by presenting short texts called Nevruziye. On this day the chief astrologer of the Sultan would present him with the new calendar and the tip he recieved on this occasion was called "Nevruziye Bahşişi". Taffies called Nevruziye were prepared by the chief physician of the palace with various spices and were offered to the sultan families and the dignitaries. The taffies specially made for this day would be be offered in covered porcelain bowls. A paper indicating the hour these would be eaten on the Nevruz day as determined by the chief astrologer would be attached to these bowls.

While Nevruziye originally was given only to the poor and the ailing, later on, with increasing demand from people and to ensure that no injustice was made, it started to be thrown out. Mesir and the Nevruz Taffie come from the same roots and both have remedial properties.

Despite some differences in practice, Nevruz has become a traditional feast and is observed among the Central Asia Turkish Communities, in Persia, Anatolia and Balkans on the same dates and for society - specific reasons.

Nevruz which is still celebrated in Persia has a legendary character. In these legends, Cemşid, who is believed to be the discoverer of fire has a particular dominance. In Persia it is believed that the God created Adam on the day of Nevruz and the stars were divided into signs of zodiac on that day. Nevruz continues for 13 days in Persia.

1- Azarbaijan
22 March Nevruz Holiday (Official Holiday)
2- Kazakhstan
21 March Nevruz Holiday (Official Holiday)
3- Kyrgyzstan
21 March Nevruz Holiday (Official Holiday)
4- Uzbekistan
21 March Nevruz Holiday (Official Holiday)
5- Turkmenistan
21 March Nevruz Holiday (Official Holiday)
6- Türkiye
21 March Nevruz Holiday
7- Norther Cyprus Turkish Republic
21 March Nevruz Holiday

Telegram dated 24 March 1921 from Neriman Nerimanof, Chief of Azarbaijan Government, to General Mustafa Kemal on the occasion of Nevruz;

"The Commissiary of Southern Caucasia, the cadets of Free War School of Azarbaijan, the two squadron Cavalarymen and Artillarymen, the sharpshooting Turkish Soldiers, We greet the Nevruz Holiday of the Turkish nation and we hope that The Reformist Azarbaijan Army, together with the hereoic Turkish Army wil soon save the eastern countries which are under the pressure Western imperialism. Long live Eastern Reform Leader Mustafa Kemal"