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Navruz customs and traditions
The way of life of our people includes various customs, traditions and rituals associated with the calendar of the year, all of which begin with the celebration of Navruz (Nav-Yangi, Roz-kun), the first day of the solar calendar of the peoples of the East. . Our ancestors, who celebrate Navruz, the great holiday we celebrate with great solemnity, as a sacred day, tried to celebrate it with great joy and happiness. Navruz dates back to the time when the first scientific and geographical ideas about the Earth appeared. . While medieval historians have written that its history dates back to three or three and a half thousand years ago, modern historians trace the historical roots of Navruz to the Stone Age (10-5 thousand years BC). conclude that
This holiday, which has deep historical roots, is a celebration of the most ancient times in Central Asia and the Middle East, and there are a number of historical written sources and historical works that prove that it is an ancient tradition. In particular, the historical, scientific and literary works of such writers as Abu Rayhan Beruni, Abu Mansur Salabi, Umar Khayyam contain interesting information about the origin of Navruz, its unique ancient rituals and ceremonies. In the works of famous medieval encyclopedic scholars, the history of the origin of Navruz is interpreted in connection with the legendary kings Qayumars, Jamshid and Suleiman. Since the beginning of the celebration of Navruz, various rulers and high-ranking historical figures in the civil service have also expressed different views on the celebration of this holiday. In our time, this national holiday is given great attention and is celebrated in different regions. In particular, with the arrival of spring in all districts of Namangan region, young and old are looking forward to this holiday and prepare for it. The rituals associated with Navruz can be divided into two: pre-holiday and post-holiday. Pre-holiday activities include preparation for planting, cleaning of yards, courtyards, shrines and cemeteries, and cooking holiday meals.
On the eve of Navruz, in all districts of the region, streets, rural cemeteries, the environment will be cleaned, and ceremonies such as "god", "dervishona" will be held, asking Allah for a good New Year for all. People themselves also try to celebrate the new year with purity. At the same time, all irrigation networks will be cleared of mud by hashar and waterways will be smoothed. From time immemorial, our ancestors performed sacrificial ceremonies with the intention of having plenty of water in the new year in early spring. These traditions have not lost their significance so far. According to the ancient tradition of our people, the holiday of Navruz began on the last night of the month of hut with the ritual of "pot full" held in the family circle. It is a pure family tradition, where each household prepares delicious meals to the best of its ability and "smells" the spirit of the ancestors. On the evening of "the pot is full" all the dishes are filled with water. According to popular belief, water-filled jars were imagined to be blessed by the grace of God.
There is a belief that if every household prepares a delicious meal by filling the pots on the evening of "the pot is full", the harvest will be abundant next year, the historical basis of which is connected with the holiday "Hamaspaeta" mentioned in the Avesto. 'lanadi. In ancient times, this ritual was performed as a ritual associated with the visit of noble spirits on New Year's Eve to the house where they lived. The decoration of the festive tables was also associated with farming. For example, if the table of the peasants was filled with the bounties of agriculture, the table of the herdsmen was full of meat and dairy products. That is, they spread out the carpets and felts in the house, sweep the cabbage, remove the sandals that have been warmed in the winter, bury them in the ground and level them. On this day, a juice made from ceremonial apricot acid is drunk to expel the body. The information about the allocation of a certain amount of sugar and apricot acid for apricot juice in the khan's harem in the XIX century in the Kokand khanate on New Year's Eve - "Sari-sol" also proves our opinion.
On the eve of Navruz, hardworking farmers spread the seeds of wheat, barley, rice, oats, millet, rye, and mosh on seven boards and sprinkled water every day. On the day of the "pot full", depending on the germination of these grains, they guessed which crop could be harvested in the coming season. This custom was first practiced in the royal palace during the Sassanid period, when people predicted how the new year would come. In addition, various predictions have been made about the coming year, depending on which day of the week March 21 falls on which day of the week and on which muchal animal.
Critics, who pay special attention to changes in nature in the Fergana Valley, are keen to observe the signs of nature and the time of return of birds that have flown to distant lands and their appearance. make different assumptions about. At the same time, the first days of the New Year also signified how the New Year would come. For example, in Azerbaijan, the first day of Navruz means spring, the second day means summer, the third day means autumn, and the fourth day means winter. Every year on the eve of Navruz, sumalak, halim and other spring dishes are cooked on the stoves.
The most common of these dishes is sumalak, and the preparation of this dish itself is a special ritual. The word "sumalak" is derived from the ancient Turkic word "suma", which means "barley harvested for juice" or wheat. Muhammad Husayn Burhan's "Burhani Qati" (1650) explains that "samanu is something like holvaytar, made from the juice of wheat sprouts that sprouted it." Sumalak cooking should be led by older women, women with many children, who are highly respected by the people, and the use of the sumalak oven as a vehicle for human colds. confirms that fertility is related to the cult. Huge pots have long been considered sacred, and special dishes are cooked in honor of the gods. There was a belief that a person who ate sumalak cooked in such pots, which was a symbol of fertility, would be lucky and blessed all year round. In line with the ancient belief that eating in one pot brings people closer to each other, we can also say that cooking holiday meals in one pot unites people ideologically.
In the village of Tepakurgan, Pop district, on March 21, all the classmates gathered in one house, cooked sumalak and had fun until the morning. They also visit other places where sumalak is cooked and congratulate their neighbors on the holiday. Such habits further enhance mutual affection between neighbors. Since it is not allowed for people to engage in any kind of work on the day of Navruz, young and old tried to celebrate this day as a holiday, with joy. According to the “magic of the first day” that exists in the peoples of the world, there is a belief that the same mood will accompany people throughout the year as the first day of the new year is celebrated. Early in the morning on the day of the holiday, people remembered their ancestors who died, visited the holy places - graves, their parents, relatives. Then they go to the holiday park. There were various performances: goat wrestling, wrestling, dorboz games, which lasted until the evening. The children beat eggs painted in different colors and held leaf-throwing competitions. The festival featured performances such as a trained rooster, a dog, a ram, and camels fighting each other. From ancient times, people divided the fighting animals into good and bad, and predicted that the new year would come with "good" and "bad" depending on which of them won. The girls, on the other hand, rode swings in the gardens on the outskirts of the village. Swing flying is also found in other nations of the world and is a symbol of puberty. In the Namangan region, the ropes were mostly tied to the branches of the apricot tree, and those who flew in the air tried to fly as high as possible and cut off the apricot flower or cave (dovuchcha) on the highest branch. It is believed that whoever achieves this, all his wishes will come true. From ancient times, Navruz ended with sowing seeds in the fields in rural areas. These rituals also consist of several stages and cover such things as “shahmois”, “sowing seeds”, and “double oysters”. The historical roots of these ceremonies date back to mil. av. The end of the third millennium dates back to the beginning of the second millennium and is associated with ancient beliefs, held on designated days of the week.
On the day the first twins were brought out to the field, an animal, often a ram, was slaughtered in honor of the Grandfather Farmer and cooked in a ceremonial dish as "double oyster", "double chicken", "god's soup". . Among the Karakalpaks in the village of Kairogachovul in the Mingbulak district of Namangan region, a live (usually a rooster) is slaughtered at the beginning of the field before sowing seeds. With the hope that the year will be prosperous and fruitful, they did it for a single teenager. It was only after the blessing of the oldest master farmer that he began his work with good intentions, asking God for a bountiful harvest. One of the dishes, such as pilaf or soup, was made from the meat of the sacrificial animal. On the day when the pot was full, the ox's horns, necks, and yoke were lubricated with lard and carved oil. The elders say that if this is done, the bull's horns will be strong, the neck will not be wounded by the yoke, and the bulls themselves will not get tired of labor.
In modern times, on the first working day of the New Year, there is a custom of worshiping in the fields or in the holy shrines and shrines. Sacrifices are also being made in local car and tractor parks in honor of the prophet David, who is considered a "blacksmith" for the proper operation of agricultural machinery throughout the year. The first was built by one of the old, respected, piru-wealthy elders of the neighboring village. In general, at the beginning of any work in agriculture stood the old men in the symbol of Bobodehkan. The elder went one, three, or five times, depending on his strength, a total of odd times, and then the first driving day was over in order to prevent the oxen from getting tired. After the ceremony, all the farmers returned home with their oxen and continued the celebration.
In general, the ceremonies called "double extraction", "royal oils", "double oysters", "sowing seeds" are the first working day of the new year for farmers, and are associated with the "magic of the first day". tried to meet as cheerfully as possible. When we analyze the Navruz holiday, which has a history of several thousand years, we can see the following commonalities among the ceremonies associated with it: lighting a fire; sprinkling or bathing each other; prediction; drinking apricot acid juice or spell, duo recited water; The "pot is full" ceremony; habits associated with cooking and eggs painted in different colors; to climb, visit high places - hills, tombs, holy places; visiting each other and parents; girls' rope jumps; out-of-town walks, goats, wrestling… etc.
At the heart of all the above-mentioned traditions of Navruz lies the only noble intention of the people - the hope that the New Year will be a year of fruitfulness and abundance. The worldview of our ancient ancestors, Navruz, a shining example of the spiritual level, along with the rebirth of nature and life, is a symbol of purity and joy, spirituality and solidarity, national pride, self-awareness and solidarity. initiates spring ceremonies and covers an entire season.
Flower parties
At the heart of the next spring ceremonies, that is, the traditions associated with the glorification of nature and the cult of plants, are the views on the "tree of life", "the death and revival of nature." It is in these views that the awakening of nature is manifested in the various festivals that take place in the form of a peculiar phenological calendar in connection with the opening of various flowers in the mountains and hills.
Similar festivals related to flowers have been celebrated among the people since ancient times. These include daisies, tulips, hyacinths. All of these festivities took place outside the city, in the heart of nature. According to Russian researcher VP Nalivkin, in Namangan at the end of the XNUMXth century, in March and April, residents of the city went out for a walk on three or four Fridays in a row. The festivities included mobile shops, food, bread, tea and sweets stalls. Women and men rested in separate places.
Ceremonies associated with the spring tree - tulips, tulips are still held in Chust, Yangikurgan, Kosonsoy and Turakurgan districts. The children first give the bouquet to the elderly. Because this flower is precious to them, it signifies that it has survived the winter, that spring has come again, that a new life has begun. In the city of Namangan and the surrounding villages, children also roamed the houses, picking flowers from the hills and hills, wearing belts or scarves, and:
Boka-boka rich, rich gold,
Stone gold to your house,
God bless you,
The big horse is Rahmatilla,
Little horse Ismatilla, They sang. Whenever they went to the house, the hosts rubbed flowers on their faces and said, "Peace be upon you, let's never see evil, let's live happily again these days next year," and gave the children fruits and sweets. .
These habits are a symbol of longevity and the cycle of time. Another spring holiday, Sunbula Day, is not found in any area except Chust district. The festival, based on Islamic views, began in early spring. The celebration of Sunbul begins at the shrine named after Hoja Abdurrahman ibn Awf, one of the most famous Companions in the Islamic world, and ends at the Sunbul Cave. Special attention has been paid to this holiday since the 80s of the XX century. The main party will take place in May. The participants of the festival were farmers, artisans, cattle breeders and traders. Such celebrations are directly related to the cult of the longevity of spring ceremonies, the death and rebirth of nature, embodying the philosophical views of our ancient ancestors about the world. One of the ceremonies that has undergone a transformation and developed to our time and is widely celebrated by the general public is the "Flower Festival". This flower festival is popular in Uzbekistan, and no other ceremony has been held in other parts of the country. This holiday was first celebrated in the 60s of the XX century. In it, amateur florists invited local residents to decorate the courtyard and city streets with beautiful flowers through local publications, radio, cultural and educational meetings. Soon, large-scale work began under the slogan "Let's turn Namangan into a city of flowers." A competition for the best flower growing has been announced at the AS Pushkin (now Bobur) Park in Namangan. In 1961, it was attended by 16 florists.
Nowadays, which has become a good tradition (usually in the second half of August - 2 days - Saturdays and Sundays), the park organizes photo exhibitions of florists, professional florists on duty, advising amateur florists. This holiday is one of the long-awaited holidays of the working people of the region, the valley and even the Republic, and people participate with their families.
The Flower Festival is of great importance not only in meeting the aesthetic needs of the population, but also in covering the city for good. The holiday is also distinguished by its ethno-ecological aspects, as well as spring ceremonies. Because the preparations for the holiday will begin a week or two ago, when the city streets will be cleaned. While these show that the traditional values associated with nature conservation are still going on, they also have symbolic meanings, such as empowering people in the victory of good over evil.
The ongoing "flower festival" in Namangan is one of the transformations of the flower-related festivals in the calendar of rituals and ceremonies, which reflects the spirituality of the Uzbek people. In the process of in-depth analysis of all the factors and criteria that shape and affect our spirituality today, when the main task is to raise the level of national spirituality, it is expedient to widely promote such holidays.