Today is Kazakhs’ Nauryz holiday

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ Three occasions coincide on March 22 for Mongolians such as World Water Day, First Space Flight Anniversary and Kazakhs’ Nauryz (Nowruz) holiday. With Nauryz being an international holiday, Mongolian Kazakhs living in western parts of the country have grand celebration of the traditional holiday which symbolizes goodness and wealth, happiness and love and friendship. Nauryz means a ‘new day’, and it represents New Year to the Kazakhs. According to a demographic report issued by the National Statistical Office on the Kazakh minority in Mongolia, there are 114,506 Kazakhs, constituting 3.9 percent of Mongolia’s population and mostly living in Bayan-Ulgii, Khovd, Selenge and Tuv aimags and Ulaanbaatar city. Kazakhs constitute 25.1 percent of the population of Mongolia’s western region, and 75.5 percent of Kazakh minority in Mongolia live in Bayan-Ulgii aimag alone. 44,279 Kazakhs are residing in cities and 70,227 Kazakhs are living in the countryside. Interestingly, 35 percent of the Kazakh population are children.