UN celebrates Navrouz

March 20, 2012

As many as 1,500 guests joined the celebration of Navrouz organized at the UN headquarters in New York by the Fund Forum Representative Office in New York and the Permanent Mission of Uzbekistan to the US along with other countries that traditionally celebrate the holiday. The event program included a video presentation and a concert.

The UN General Assembly drew around 1,500 people representing the diplomatic corps accredited at the UN as well as international organizations, the academic community and the public in New York. Those gathered had the opportunity to view a video on Asrlar Sadosi (Echo of Centuries) Festival of Traditional Culture, which demonstrated to the broad international public Uzbekistan’s rich cultural legacy and the Uzbek nation’s centuries-old traditions and customs.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's address to nations celebrating Navrouz was read out at the opening ceremony for the event. In September, 2009 the UNESCO welcomed Navrouz to its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and the UN passed a resolution declaring March 21 the International Day of Navrouz.

Guests and representatives from various countries, nations and religions who attended the event at the UN watched with a keen interest how this unique holiday is celebrated in Uzbekistan. One of the highlights of the event was the masterful performance of Uzbek classical music pieces by instrumentalists from Uzbekistan. The event also offered national culinary delights, with international guests sharing their impressions of the delicious food.

Navrouz (also spelled Navruz, Nowruz and Narooz) originated over 3,000 years ago and is an ancestral festivity marking the first day of spring and the renewal of nature. It promotes values of peace and solidarity between generations and within families as well as reconciliation and neighbourliness, thus contributing to cultural diversity and friendship among peoples and different communities. Therefore, millions of people across the world are celebrating Navrouz. People in countries that share this holiday cook traditional meals and share them with guests and neighbors.