All about the Kazakh New Year

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

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

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. Kazakhs 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. The numbers from January 1 to 2 and from March 21 to 23 are the official public holidays in the republic, when all people rest. This time, Kazakhs devote to communicating with relatives 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 in the streets of cities, in shop windows, in windows of houses, Christmas trees are set up, which are decorated with New Year's toys and tinsel.Christmas trees appear on the central streets of cities only after the Independence Day, that is, after December 16th.

The gala dinner in Kazakh families begins on the evening of December 31, everyone is waiting for the President’s New Year’s address with summing up the results of the outgoing year and congratulations, after which a festive fireworks rattles and a beep sounds announcing the coming of the next year.

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

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

The Eastern New Year is celebrated in Kazakhstan with the advent 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 a tradition of celebrating 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 Nauryz religion, so no ceremonies were performed on these days. In the period from March 21 to March 23, Kazakhs congratulate each other and wish a successful, productive and profitable year.

In the old days, people prepared in advance for the celebration of Nauryz meiramas - the old people cut their mustaches and beards, got the best and new outfits, went to visit each other, congratulated their relatives and friends, wishing them good and happiness. These days, it was customary for the Kazakhs to conduct various competitions, one of which was an archery competition. Men prepared for the competition in about a week, honing their skills to perfection. Everyone could participate in the competition - from kids to the elderly.

On the Nauryz holiday, the hostesses prepared the main dish, called Nauryz skin. This treat included meat from winter stocks, and milk was also added. The dish was served to the table with the words wishes for good and happiness. The head of a ram and 7 spices were added to the composition of Nauryz skin - it was a symbol of the meeting of spring and farewell to the departing winter.

And so that the year is generous and fruitful, in the house in all the dishes it was necessary to pour milk, ayran, koumiss or plain spring water. During the Soviet Union, the Communists considered this holiday to be religious and forbade it to be celebrated. But already in 2001, by order of the President of Kazakhstan, the Nauryz Meiramy holiday was again revered and celebrated everywhere.

In winter, during the celebration of the European New Year, the housewives prepare a generous table for the festive dinner, where you can see various dishes of Kazakh national cuisine. Favorite delicacy of Kazakh children are baursaki - sweet or unleavened flour donuts. The festive feast is not complete without the traditional Kazakh beshbarmak - dishes prepared from boiled lamb, horse meat or beef with the addition of homemade noodles, called in Kazakh style. This dish is served with meat broth called sorpa. Another national dish is homemade sausage made from horse meat with the addition of herbs, it is called kazy. Kazakhs also love lamb, pickled and cooked in a creamy sauce, called cheese.

For dessert, the famous chuck chuckmade from slices of dough mixed with bee honey. At the festive table, koumiss from mare’s milk and shubat made from camel’s milk are used as traditional Kazakh drinks at the festive table.

About how to celebrate the New Year in Kazakhstan, see the video.