Central Asian nations celebrate spring equinox with Navruz

Representatives of cultures from central Asia united to entertain and educate the Bloomington community Saturday in a celebration of spring. \n"Navruz" -- a Persian word that means "new day" -- is celebrated by central Asian countries annually, including the former Soviet republics of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan and nations such as Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey.\nNavruz celebrates nature and people. \n"Navruz, which has origins in Iran, is a celebration of the spring equinox," said William Fierman, director of the Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center.\nThe festival brings together people and countries in a celebration of friendship and the human spirit.\n"People come out into the street and sing and dance in celebration. It is called 'the great day of the people,'" Sulushash Kerimkulova, a visiting scholar from Kazakhstan, said.\nThe festival is often mistaken for an Islamic event, which could not be further from the truth.\n"Navruz has Zoroastrian roots and precedes Islam by many centuries. It is a celebration of spring and most importantly, it is a cultural festival, not a religious one," said senior Alisher Zufarov, president of the Navruz Student Association.\nThe association organized a gala Saturday that featured song, dance, food and exhibits from several Central Asian nations. \n"Spring is very important to the people of this region because agriculture is vital to the survival of these people. In spring they can do a lot of things that they would otherwise be unable to do," Zufarov said. \nIn countries that celebrate the event, Navruz is greeted with a profusion of cleansing. \n"Before the celebration begins we clean our houses, streets and our souls. We must forget past grudges and forgive people for past mistakes," Kerimkulova said. Included in the celebration are activities one might not associate with Asian culture.\n"It is also characterized by friendly competitions, a couple of which include horse racing and tight-rope walking," Zufarov said. \nPart of the celebration is the vast amount of food, and the marathon cooking sessions begin days before the festival. Saturday's event provided a diverse sampling of culinary delights from several central Asian nations.\n"Nowadays there is a lot of political tension between the borders of these countries. This is what makes this event, which brought several of these countries together, all the more remarkable," Fierman said.\nIU is one of the few universities in the country with a prominent Inner Asian and Uralic Studies department, which regularly participates in exchange programs with these countries. \nThe event, organized by the Navruz Student Association and the Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center, was meant to do more than entertain. \n"Our culture is not very well-known in America. It was an opportunity for the performers to exhibit their culture and educate the audience," Zufarov said. \nIn addition to educating others about Central Asian culture, Saturday's event provided natives of the area with some insight into their own cultures.\n"It also helped increase our own awareness of our culture, and we made friends from many different countries and cultures," Kerimkulova said.