Submitted by MONTSAME on

The Nowruz is celebrated on the day of the astronomical Northward equinox, which usually occurs on March 21 or the previous/following day depending on where it is observed. The moment the sun crosses the celestial equator and equalizes night and day is calculated exactly every year and families gather together to observe the rituals. It is celebrated in over 40 countries, and it was registered in the list of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage on September 30 of 2009.
The celebration is also marked among Kazakhs in Mongolia. On occasion of this year’s celebration, the Speaker of parliament Enkhbold Zandaakhuu is touring to Bayan-Olgii aimag, whereas the Deputy Prime Minister D.Terbishdagva visited Kazakh families in the capital city’s Nalaikh district where many Kazakhs reside.
On the celebration days, Kazakhs greet their guests on the door side, and greet each other. The ceremonial table which is called “Dastarkhan” is full of foods. The most important food is salted meat conserved in horse’s colon for eight months. This is called “Kaz”. In addition to this, the ceremonial banquet includes a soup named “Koj” which is made of fried cookies, rice and aarts (bitter tasty dairy product). Traditionally, the table must be full of at least seven kinds of foods, which symbolizes richness. Moreover, one person should taste and eat the “Koj” in at least 40 families because they cherish this number.
Nowruz is not only a celebration for welcoming New Year, but also it is a tradition to inherit the custom to the next generation. Kazakh people are one of the few nations in the world to save their language and culture.

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