Gala Reserve preserves Novruz traditions

AThe event is organized at the initiative of ICOM Azerbaijan National Committee, Azerbaijan Carpet Museum, Gala State Historical and Ethnographic Reserve and International Mugham Center, Trend Life reported.

Chairman of ICOM National Committee Shirin Melikova said that the event aims to preserve and promote national traditions and customs, to revive forgotten ones and pass them to a new generation.

“For each Azerbaijani, Novruz holiday is associated with the arrival of spring, the awakening of nature. It is a holiday of unity and mutual assistance. Neighbors, relatives gather together to bake sweets, prepare various dishes,” said Melikova.

“The main task of museum workers and all patriotic citizens in general is the preservation and transfer of national values to future generations. In 2009, the Novruz holiday was included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, which is the result of a purposeful policy of the state,” she added.

Within the framework of the project, the staff of the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum and the Gala Reserve will teach guests how to make shekerbura.

During the event, employees of two organizations, dressed in national costumes, will clearly demonstrate the process of making delicious Novruz pastry shekerbura. It is planned to hold ceremonies connected with the holiday.

Theatrical scenes featuring customs such as "papag atdy" (tossing hats to receive guests), "gaps pusgu" (fortune telling - eavesdropping at the door), "fala bakhma" (other types of fortune telling), performance of mugham trio awaits guests of the event.