Novruz is annually celebrated in our country on March 21-22, the day of the vernal equinox, and heralds the coming of the New Year. Novruz is one of the oldest holidays that have lived for many centuries in the souls and memory of many nations, including Turkmen people. Today this bright holiday has acquired an international status, embodying the high principles of peace, humanism, diligence, being a symbol of friendship and goodwill. This beautiful, widely celebrated spring holiday contributes to the strengthening of peaceful relations between states and popularizes the historical and cultural traditions of peoples.
From times immemorial, Turkmen people have been especially zealous in celebrating numerous national celebrations. For the Turkmen, the words «toy» and «bayram», meaning «celebration» and «holiday» are very important. National holidays spiritually enrich and strengthen the cohesion of the people, give rise to new rituals, customs and traditions that are subsequently passed on from generation to generation. The same attitude is shown to celebration of Novruz Bayram, since the coming of the New Year is considered a sacred event for our people. On the days preceding the holiday and on Novruz itself, various ritual actions are performed, folk customs and traditions are observed. They cover all spheres of the life of society and are carried out in order to ensure the well-being and prosperity of the family, relatives and friends in the coming new year. Before the onset of Novruz, every Turkmen family carefully tidies up their houses and their surroundings, since cleanliness is one of the main ways of life for the Turkmen. Note that in this case, a broader understanding of purity is meant: both purity in everyday life and purity of soul and body, purity of thoughts. On Novruz, people dress in everything new and festive. Also, before Novruz, for every person, regardless of gender and age, it is considered obliging to perform one of the cleansing rituals: jumping over a fire. Thus, one can clearly see a single parallel between renewal and cleansing, both physical and spiritual.
