Baku, March 21, AZERTAC

The International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation has held a celebration of Novruz Holiday and the award ceremony for the winners of the international drawing competition “Let's Protect Our World: Traditions of the Turkic World”.

In her opening remarks, President of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Gunay Afandiyeva congratulated the participants on the upcoming Novruz Holiday. She noted that Novruz Holiday occupies an important place in the world in terms of its cultural significance, and it is no coincidence that it has been included in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage for more than 10 years. On March 21, various countries celebrate Novruz with great enthusiasm, declared by the UN as an international holiday. This is an indicator of the importance of Novruz all over the world.

“Novruz is the beginning of the new year. In the culture of the Turkic-speaking peoples, Novruz is rich in elements that express the awakening nature and fertility, at the same time it personifies the joy of life and the purification of the soul. Novruz is also known among the Turkic-speaking peoples as a holiday of peace and is an indicator of our genetic memory. On these festive days, forgotten customs are remembered, ancient traditions are revived. It is a pride that Novruz returns 30 years later to the lands of Azerbaijan liberated from the occupation - to native Karabakh. These traditions left over from our ancestors are our heritage. Our goal is to preserve and promote them around the world.

Today's exhibition, consisting of works by children from Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Hungary, reflects the ancient history, culture and most importantly, the spirit of the Turkic world. The ancient traditions of the Turkic world take us to this magical and mysterious world. They call us to purity, kindness and mercy, as well as to the preservation of spiritual values”, said Gunay Afandiyeva.

In his speech, Deputy Foreign Minister Ramiz Hasanov expressed gratitude to the organizers of the competition. He noted that the Novruz holiday symbolizes spring. “The Turkic-speaking peoples associate spring with the rebirth of nature and celebrate this holiday as the beginning of the new year. Novruz Holiday has been preserved to this day after passing the tests of history. Despite the fact that Novruz was not allowed to be celebrated in Soviet times, in Azerbaijan it was always celebrated in accordance with centuries-old traditions. Novruz 2021 is of particular importance for the Azerbaijani people, as the lands that have been under occupation for almost 30 years have been liberated and the territorial integrity of the country has been restored. We are indebted to the Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev and our glorious army for the opportunity to celebrate Novruz Holiday on the lands liberated from the occupation”, said Deputy Foreign Minister.

Speaking at the event, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan Serzhan Abdykarimov, Ambassador of Turkey to Azerbaijan Erkan Ozoral, Charge d'Affaires of the Kyrgyz Republic to Azerbaijan Mukhamed Lou, the cultural attache of the Embassy of Uzbekistan to Azerbaijan Oybek Akramov, Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan Mekan Ishanguliyev, Secretary of the Embassy of Hungary to Azerbaijan Mihai Gruber, Ambassador of Lithuania to Azerbaijan Egidijus Navikas, UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan Ghulam Isagzai highly appreciated celebrating the Novruz Holiday in the Foundation, and also shared the traditions of the holiday inherent in the countries they represent.

At the ceremony, an exhibition of works by the winners of the international drawing competition “Let's Protect Our World: Traditions of the Turkic World” announced by the Foundation was presented.

Then the President of the Foundation gave the certificates of the participants of the competition to the ambassadors of the countries.

In the building of the organization, stands were also installed with samples of the national cuisine of the Turkic-speaking peoples, symbols reflecting their history and culture.

The event included a demonstration of the national costumes of the member and observer countries of the Foundation, accompanied by their national music.

At the end of the celebration, with the participation of the President of the Foundation Gunay Afandiyeva, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ramiz Hasanov and the ambassadors, a competition was held to break colored eggs - one of the symbols of the holiday, and a festive fire was lit.

The event was organized in accordance with the conditions of the pandemic.