Thousands Of Tourists Celebrate Novruz In Baku

Tourists have poured in to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, for vacation and celebrating Novruz, which marks the start of a new year for millions in the region.

While Novruz was officially celebrated this year on Monday, March 20 – the date of the vernal equinox, when the sun crosses the celestial equator and equalizes night and day, marking the start of Spring – celebrations continue throughout the week.

Most travelers come from Azerbaijan’s southern neighbor Iran, a nation that also widely celebrates the 3,000 year old holiday, which has ties with the country’s indigenous religion Zoroastrianism.

Bahruz and his big family came to Baku this holiday season from Yazd, one of Iran’s most ancient and renowned cities. He spoke with Caspian News and explained how in Iran, Yazd is considered the epicenter of Novruz, as the majority of the city’s residents are Zoroastrian.

“We came here to celebrate Novruz with the whole family,” Bahruz said. “I liked Baku very much. The celebrations of Novruz here in Baku are very similar to the celebrations in Yazd. We are going to come here again next year.”

Novruz is celebrated in more than 10 countries that span from Albania to western China to central India. The holiday is most widely recognized however, in Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Over a period of one week, Baku residents celebrate by making bonfires, singing and dancing to the accompaniment of musical instruments. Jumping over the fire is a tradition meant to rid oneself of diseases, misfortunes and disasters in the coming year.

Folk singers can be seen throughout city centers performing national songs, while folk games are played by children and adults alike. Rope-walkers demonstrate their concentration skills, while wrestlers, known as Pehlevans, show off their strength.

Feerdaus, a resident of Tehran, is spending this year’s holiday in Baku, enjoying the festivities with his wife and two children.

“We arrived in Baku three days ago. I really liked the city, it’s very nice here. It was easy for us to come here from Iran, easy to get a visa. I really enjoyed the celebrations in Azerbaijan, so we will definitely come here again,” Feerdaus told Caspian News.

Getting a visa to visit Azerbaijan has been made easier than ever before, thanks to an e-Governance operation known as ASAN. The public-private partnership was established in 2015 as part of making travel to the country easy and in time for the world’s first European Games, an international, multi-sport event for athletes representing Europe’s National Olympic Committees.