Nowruz is an ancient holiday, which
has been celebrated for more than
5,000 years. The first records of
Nowruz as a spring holiday date back1
to 505 BC.
Gosha Gala Gates of Icherisheher
and the Boulevard are the places
where the annual2 Nowruz festival
takes place for several days.
Festivities3 include magician
and rope walker performances,
mugham, classical and jazz music
concerts.
This holiday is a great excuse4
to try plenty of shekerbura
and pakhlava as well as enjoy
delicious Azerbaijani kebabs
and plov.
In addition to a lot of good food, music
also plays a major role in the Nowruz
celebrations, including nationwide live5
folk music concerts and the traditional
Yalli dances.
The Last Tuesday involves a broad
range6 of games, performances
and rituals7, one of which is “ear
divination”. People approach their
neighbours’ doors to discover if
their wish will come true in the
next year or not.
During the Soviet period, the Soviet
government gave different political
images to Nowruz, but Azerbaijanis
were able to preserve8 this holiday.