All about the Kazakh New Year

People celebrate the New Year's holiday in Kazakhstan in different ways: someone prefers to meet it in a narrow home circle, and someone joins the noisy fun in the company of friends or goes to various entertainment establishments. During the New Year's celebration, all people are united by faith in the best and the hope that the coming year will be happier and more successful than the outgoing year.

Kazakhstan celebrates the New Year twice. For the first time, the traditional European New Year is celebrated, which occurs on the night of December 31 to January 1. Its inhabitants of Kazakhstan began to celebrate only from the middle of the 19th century with the arrival of Slavic settlers to the Kazakh lands. During the unification of the republics into the Soviet Union, many Slavic traditions were firmly entrenched in Kazakhstan, including the celebration of the New Year.

For the second time, the Kazakh New Year is celebrated according to the Eastern tradition, and this happens from March 21 to 23. This holiday is called in Kazakh Nauryz meiramy. The Kazakhs have celebrated this holiday for many centuries, and now this tradition has not lost its national significance for them.

Kazakhs do not work on New Year's holidays. Numbers from 1 to 2 January and from 21 to 23 March are official holidays in the republic, when all people are resting. This time Kazakhs devote to communication with family and friends, meet with friends.

The approach of the European New Year holiday in Kazakhstan is felt in advance. From the very first days of December, festive garlands begin to light up on the streets of cities, in shop windows, in the windows of houses, Christmas trees are installed, which are decorated with New Year's toys and tinsel. On the central streets of cities, Christmas trees appear only after the Independence Day, that is, after December 16.

A festive dinner in Kazakh families begins on the evening of December 31, everyone is waiting for the President's New Year's address summing up the results of the outgoing year and congratulations, after which a festive fireworks sound and the chime of the clock is heard announcing the coming of the next year.

Often, his assistant granddaughter walks next to him. New Year is a family holiday for Kazakhs, and at this time they give each other pre-prepared souvenirs and gifts. Residents of large cities now often choose clubs or restaurants as a place to celebrate the New Year.

A few minutes before the New Year, people pick up a glass of champagne, light sparklers and congratulate each other while the clock strikes, wishing them happiness. After midnight, Kazakh youth take to the streets of cities and join the festive festivities, watching shows and fireworks, congratulating friends and acquaintances. On New Year's Eve, you can visit each other, visiting and congratulating loved ones.

Eastern New Year is celebrated in Kazakhstan with the arrival of spring, in March, when the snow is already melting, and nature is awakening from winter sleep, feeling the imminent approach of summer. For centuries, the Kazakh people have developed a tradition to celebrate the beginning of a new period of agriculture precisely on the days of Nauryz Meiramy. Among the nomadic peoples, it was the most revered and important holiday, but it has no connection with the religion of Nauryz meiramy, therefore no rituals were performed on these days. In the period from March 21 to March 23, Kazakhs congratulate each other and wish a successful, fruitful and profitable year.

In the old days, people prepared in advance for the celebration of Nauryz Meiramy - the old men cut mustaches and beards, took out the best and newest outfits, went to visit each other, congratulated relatives and friends, wishing them well and happiness. These days, it was customary for the Kazakhs to hold various competitions, one of which was an archery competition. The men prepared for the competition in about a week, honing their skills to perfection. Everyone could participate in the competition - from kids to old people.

On the Nauryz holiday, the hostesses prepared the main dish called Nauryz kozhe. This treat included winter meat and milk. The dish was served to the table with wishes of goodness and happiness. The head of a ram and 7 spices were added to Nauryz kozhe - this was a symbol of meeting spring and saying goodbye to the outgoing winter.

And so that the year is generous and fruitful, in the house, milk, ayran, kumis or plain spring water had to be poured into all the dishes... During the Soviet era, the communists considered this holiday religious and forbade it to be celebrated. But already in 2001, by order of the President of Kazakhstan, the holiday of Nauryz Meiramy again began to be revered and celebrated everywhere.

In winter, during the celebration of the European New Year, the hostesses prepare a generous table for a festive dinner, where you can see various dishes of the national Kazakh cuisine. Favorite delicacies of Kazakh children are baursaks - sweet or unleavened flour donuts. The festive feast is not complete without traditional Kazakh beshbarmaka - a dish made from boiled lamb, horse meat or beef with homemade noodles. This dish is served along with a meat broth called sorpa.

Another national dish is homemade sausagemade from horse meat with the addition of herbs, it is called kazy. Kazakhs also love lamb, marinated and cooked in a creamy sauce, called syrne.

For dessert, the famous chak-chakmade from pieces of dough mixed with bee honey. As traditional Kazakh drinks on the festive table they use koumiss from mares' milk and shubatmade from camel milk.

How the New Year is celebrated in Kazakhstan, see below.