By Tughluk A. Osman

Novruz - or Noruz Bayrimi in Uighur - is one of the major and the most favorite holidays of Uighur and other Turkix people in Central Asia. Although it is celebrated in Islamic countries, however, Novruz is not a religious holiday. It is actually a celebration of the symbolic renewal of nature. According to Turkic scholars, it originates from the Ancient Mesopotamia. In Babylon New Year was celebrated starting from the 21st day of March ( or Nissan ) and lasts for 12 days. According to historians, Novruz is certain to have been celebrated in pre-Islamic times and afterwards.

Novruz is associated with spring, start of agricultural activities, renewal of nature and warm days. This period being of great importance it caused many traditions and rites associated with magic, the cult of nature and earth, and belief in the perishing and reviving nature. Virtually, celebrations began four weeks before the actual day of festivity. These four weeks were each devoted to one of the four elements. They were: Su Heptisi (Water Week), Ot Heptisi (Flame Week), Tuprakh Heptisi (Earth Week), Ahiri Heptisi (Last Week). According to folk beliefs, on Water Week 'water renewed and dead-water came to stir'; the Flame Week was believed the day of fire rebirth; on Earth Week the earth revived. On the Last Week the wind opened tree buds and spring arrived. Nowadays, due to the busy schedule and other reasons, the festival become much shorter, ranging from one day to two weeks.

The most important week was the Last Wednesday before the vernal equinox) and most of important rites and ceremonies were delivered that day which concerned all the aspects of human life. Those rites were intended to provide welfare for an individual, his family and the community in general, to get rid of the old year's troubles and to avert a calamity.

According to Uighur tradition, on the day of Novruz, all people in the town including young and old congrigate in a beutiful place such as park to celebrate the festival. They wear beutiful traditional dresses and customs and sing songs and play games to entertain the crown. The poets and writers will dictate their poems and folklors for glorifying Novruz. Story tellers will entertain the crowd by telling jokes and short stories. Musician and singers will show their telant by playing music, and dancing. There will be games such as 'Oghlakh Tartix' (Catch the Goat) , 'Khiz Khoghlax' (Girl Chasing) or hourse rasing. In some occation, 'Davazqi' - (an unique Uighur high rope riding game) perform and attract hundreds of people. Young girls sit on the ground and play games, others sit arround musicians to enjoy beutiful Uyghur 12 Mukams. In short, everyone will give his or her own best performance to entertain the crowd. School children will be organized to attend festival that make the occation alive. Since teacher prepare children well in advance for attending the festival, usually the childrens performance attract the most audience.

In order to prepare for Novruz, villigers select a number of individuals a few months before the festival. The group of people will be responsible for collection dues from villegers. Special kind of food named Novruz Food will be cooked which has to contain weat, rice, grain, meat, milk and water as ingredients. In addition to the special Novruz food, there are also plenty of fruit and vegetables to feed the crowd. Based on Uighur tradition, everyone who attend the festival has to taste some of Novruz food.

Although every Uighur consider Noruz as an important holiday. Nobody knows exactly when Uighur started the holiday. Based on the legend and folklores, it could be traced back to the period before Uighur became Muslims. Therefore, it is not a religious holiday.

edited by: Gulbahar Mamut

Nuruz Bayrimi

(Abdukerim Rahman, Reveydulla Hemdulla, Xerip Huxtar khartarlikhlarning yazghan "Uyghur Orp-Adetliri" digen kitabni tonuxturux uqun teyyarlandi.)

Baharning insanlargha ekelgen hoxallikhi munasiveti bilen tentenilik ve debdebilik otkuzuldighan khedimiy ve eneniviy milliy bayramlardin biri "Noruz" bayrimi bolup, u Uyghur, Khazakh, Khirghiz, Uzbek, Tatar, Tajik khatarlikh ottura Asiyaning khedimki milletlirige ortakh bayram hesablinidu.

"Noruz" eslide Parisqe soz bolup, "bahar yamghuri","tunji bahar kuni" digen menilerni bilduridu. Bu bayram khedimdin baxlap xemsiye (kun) kalindari boyiqe khix ahirlixip, baharning baxlinix kuni (her yili 3-ayning 21-kuni) yeni kun bilen tun tenglexken bax baharning birinqi kuni otkuzulidu.

"Noruz bayrimi" esli mahiyiti bilen yengi yil bayrimi bolup, bu enenivi bayram Uyghurlarning turmux aditide intayin qong tesirge ige.

"Noruz" bayrimining bir kheder omumlaxkhan eneniviy adetliri mundakh:

"Noruz" kirgen kuni yette yaxtin yetmix yaxkhiqe, qong-kiqik, er-ayallar, yurt-mehelliler boyqe ozlirining milli bayram kiyimlirini kiyixip, menzirlik jaylargha jem bolixidu ve xu sorunda "Noruz"gha atap teyyarlighan her hil oyunlarni oynaydu. Helkh khoxakhqiliri "Noruz"ni medhiyeleydighan xiir-khoxakhlarni okhuxidu, vayiz (meddah)lar dastan ve hikaye-khissilerni kuylinidu. Sazendiler muzikigha tengkex khilip nahxa eytip, ussul oynixidu. Bir terepte qvendazlar oghlakh tartidu, at beygisi otkuzidu, darvazlar egiz dar ustide oz karamitini korsitip, minglighan kixilerni ozige jelip khilidu, khizlar mejnuntallargha ilenguq silip lerzan pervaz khilidu, bir terepte olturux khizip "On ikki mukham" dastanliri evjige koturulidu. Khiskhisi, her kim oz ehvaligha yarixa maharet korsitip, bayram hoxallikhini namayan khilidu. "Noruz" murasimlirigha mektep balilirimu kolliktip halda khatnixidu. Ular muellimlirining yitekqilikide sep-sep bolup, gulluk tahtilargha yizilghan "Noruzname" lirini koturuxup unluk diklamatsiye khilixidu.

"Noruz" murasimlirida jamaettin ihtiyari yighix khilip, mehsus Noruz ixi teyyarlinidu (Absinin). Noruz ixi enene boyiqe yette yaki tokhkhuz hil matiryaldin teyyarlinidighan koje bolup, bughday, arpa, guruq, tirikh, kox, sut, su khatarlikhlarni arlaxturup pixuridu. Bezide kox ornigha kalla-pakhalqakh ve jasuylerni khoxidu. "Noruz" murasimigha khatnaxkhanlarning hemmisi "Noruz ixi" gha eghiz tegkuzux xert khilinidu. Xundakh khilip, hemme kixi "Noruz" bayrimigha khanghuqe kongul eqip, yahxi tilek-arzular bilen oylirige khaytixidu ve bayramni tebriklep ozara petilixidu.

Tarihiy sevebler tupeylidin "Noruz" bayrimining otkuzulux vakhti uzun yaki khiskha boluxi mumkin. Likin khdimki enenilerdin kharighanda, bu bayramning vakhti ikki hepte, yeni on bex kun khilip belgilengen. Hazir koprek rayonlarda "Noruz" bayrimi uq kun khilip hatirlinidu.

"Noruz" bayrimida oynilidighan her hil paaliyetler hemde uninggha beghixlanghan "Noruzname" lerning mezmunidin kharighanda, khix-zimistanni khoghdax, asayixlikh yengi baharni kutuvelix, yengi yilning yengiqe hoxallikh ekilixini tilex, yexillikhkha purkengen tebietni kuylex, kixilerni ilim-meripetke undex, ittipakh ve inakhlikhni texebbus khilix, sahavetlik ve diyanetlik bolux khatarlikh ilghar ijtimaii mezmunlarni eks etturidu. Mesilen:

Itira khildukh Noruzdin yahxi kunni baxlidukh,
Konglimizning hoxallukhidin bir oyunni baxlidukh,
Xatavada ton kiyip, juva-tumakhni taxlidukh,
At minip, oghlakh alip, mexrep khilur kunduz bugun.

Keldi Noruz yil baxi, ketti kongulning qirikini,
Noruz diban kilurlar hatunlarning turikini,
Guller khisur khiz-oghul, egri khoyar borkini,
Mejlis khilip oynaxur, aqor kongul mulkini,
Khayghu-mihnetler kitip oynaxur kundur bugun.

Uyghurlar arisida "Noruz" bayrimining khaqandin baxlanghanlikhi hekhkhide ixenqilik tarihi matiryallargha ige emesmiz. Likin "Noruz" bayrimi hekhkhidiki kopligen gozel epsane-rivayetlerge asaslanghanda, "Noruz" bayrimining peyda boluxi Uyghurlarning Islam dinigha itikhad khilixtin burunkhi koktengrige qokhunghan devrliri bilen munasivetlik. Koktengrige itikhad khilghan axu khedimki Uyghurlar kokte jimirlap turghan yultuzlarning orunlixixigha kharap, ularni ohxaxmighan supetler bilen teriplexken. Ularning tonuxiqe, Akhkhuza (Naojoz, Tokhti) yultuzini insanlargha beht ata khighuqi ilah, khox, bilikh ( Erebqe hemel) ilahining bax koturup qikhkhan kuni bolghaqkha, bu kun insanlargha beht ve teley ekilidu, digen ekhide boyiqe, Akhkhuza eyining baxlanghan kuni ( Hazirkhi kalindar boyiqe 3-ayning 21-kuni) "Noruz" bayrimi khilip belgilengen. Kopligen tarihiy menbelerdimu "Noruz" bayrimining nahayti khedimki devrlerdin baxlap helkh arisida tentenilik otkuzulidighanlikhi hekhkhide nurghan hatirler khaldurulghan.

Article added by Tughluk on Tuesday, December 20, 2005