Holidays of New Beginnings

Understanding culture in the modern era is essential because it helps our ability to understand other people as well as other’s various customs and traditions. Because we can treat people from different backgrounds with more friendliness and respect, it improves and simplifies our lives. Two unique holidays, Nowruz in Central Asia and New Year’s Eve in America, stand out as strong illustrations of ethnic diversity and communal delight within the kaleidoscope of international festivities. Here you will see how similar these holidays are and how different they are.

Nowruz is a wonderful holiday celebrated in Central Asia and other regions. This holiday is associated with the beginning of the spring equity and symbolizes upgrade, rebirth, and communion with nature. Even before the advent of Islam, people celebrated this day as the beginning of the new year, the upgrade of nature, and humanity. Several days before the holiday, people cleaned their homes, settled debts, and forgave all offenses. It is believed that with Nowruz, the whole world is renovated. The translation of the word “Nowruz” from ancient Persian means “new day.” Nowruz is celebrated on March 21. Countries such as Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Georgia, Iran, Albania, Macedonia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan celebrate this holiday. In the past, Nowruz was celebrated with various rituals, including decorating houses, dancing, singing, and eating special foods such as seeds and fruits. Today, the Nowruz holiday has preserved many old traditions but has also acquired new aspects, including national parades, theatrical performances, performances by famous artists, various competitions, and festivals. Traditional dishes still play an important role on this day, as do special rituals and ceremonies. For the Kyrgyz people, this holiday has strong historical roots. It is associated with traditions passed down from generation to generation and strengthens the sense of community and identity among the Kyrgyz people. An interesting fact is that in Kazakhstan, during the Nowruz holiday, traditional horse games called “Kokpar” are held. In our Kyrgyz culture, we have a similar game called “Kok Boru.” In this game, two teams on horseback compete for a ball, usually made of leather, and try to throw it into the opponent’s goal. When I was little, I often went to my grandparents’ house, I remember that evening I saw this game for the first time. It was so interesting that I couldn’t tear myself away, but unfortunately after that I didn’t see this game live anymore. “Nowruz Holidays last two weeks and marks at the beginning  of  “Farvardin”,  the  first  month  of  the  Iran’s  official  Solar  Hejri  calendar.” (Balafkan; Iranica).

New Year’s Eve in America is one of the most popular and festive events of the year. People from different cultures and nationalities are joining in the celebration of this event. The celebration involves families, friends and colleagues who come together to celebrate the New Year. This holiday is of great importance to people, as it symbolizes a new beginning, opportunities and hopes for the future. People usually spend time together enjoying delicious food, entertainment, and traditional holiday rituals such as burning fireworks or counting the countdown to midnight. For many people, this time of year becomes an opportunity to make plans and start with a clean slate. Americans began to take a keen interest in how other people were observing the holiday (Marling, Karal Ann). Many cities celebrate very grandiosely, in New York, a huge number of people gather in Times Square to see the famous ball descending to the floor during the countdown. In North America, New Year’s Eve celebrations were modest and often associated with religious ceremonies. Almost immediately, as soon as in the second half of the XIX century, Christmas rituals in the United States began to acquire a recognizable character, Americans began to show a keen interest in how other people celebrate this holiday, in concern for Christmas customs. The social system around the New Year has also undergone changes. Family gatherings have become more diverse, reflecting the diversity of cultures and traditions in the country.

Nowruz and New Year, while sharing some similarities as holidays, also have various cultural differences. The similarity lies in both representing a new beginning and the start of a new year. In both cases, people also gather with family and friends to celebrate the occasion. Additionally, Nowruz and New Year are associated with traditional rituals and customs, such as exchanging gifts and hosting gatherings. As for the differences, Nowruz has deep historical roots, especially among Central Asian countries, and holds significant cultural importance for the Kyrgyz people, as I wrote earlier. New Year in America has evolved over time to become more diverse, reflecting the country’s multicultural society. Nowruz is primarily celebrated in Central Asia, such as Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, etc. On the other hand, New Year is widely celebrated throughout the United States and has become a global event. Traditional games and entertainment differ greatly, as in Central Asia, there’s kok boru and togyz korgool, while in the USA, it’s about watching movies, attending parties, and exchanging gifts. The common theme that stands out when comparing the celebration of Nowruz and New Year in Central Asia and America is the human desire to start afresh, to renew, and embark on new ventures, as they say, to start with a clean slate. Typically, everyone sets new goals and plans during these holidays.

Nowruz and New Year are different but celebrate new starts and hope. These holidays, from various cultures, share a common idea of starting fresh and feeling positive. They have their own special games, fun, and traditions, but all focus on making life colorful and joyful. They remind us to welcome change and enjoy happy times. Whether it is nature waking up or a new year beginning, these celebrations bring us together to be happy and make memories. They add brightness to life and give us happy times to remember, like parties and new beginnings.

Marling, Karal Ann. Merry Christmas! Celebrating America’s Greatest Holiday. Harvard University Press, 2000, https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674040625.

Ehsan Aslani, et al. “Estimation of Carrying Capacity in Historic City of Yazd for Walking Tourists during Nowruz Holidays.” ARA: Revista de Investigación En Turismo, vol. 10, no. 1, 2020, pp. 25–50, https://doi.org/10.1344/ara.v10i1.31208.