Author: Rahmonov Mirsaid
International Nowruz festivity produces
peaceful plentiful progressive public life
The main feature and function of Public Diplomacy is promoting regional and global peace and stability among people of the world thru nonviolent methods. So, the strong people-to-people ties, languages, cultural cooperation, youth interactions, media cooperation, health development, technology knowledge sharing, arts and craft, different festivities such as Nauruz and history will expand inseparability, understanding, and mutual trust to be promoted and developed consequently.
Navruz is the ancient festival beginning on March 21 making day and night equivalent. The word Nowruz or Nowruz means new day in Persian-tajik language. Nowruz marks the first day of spring and is celebrated on 21st March annually. According to UN data it is celebrated as the beginning of the new year by more than 300 million people all around the world and has been celebrated for over 3,000 years in the Balkans, the Black Sea Basin, the Caucasus, Central Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and other regions of the world.
It is accepted on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2009 as a cultural tradition festivity internationally marking the first day of spring and the renewal of nature. It also promotes values of peace and solidarity between generations and within families as well as reconciliation and neighborhood contributing cultural diversity and friendship among peoples. Nowruz plays a significant role in strengthening the ties among peoples based on mutual respect and the ideals of peace and good neighboring.
Celebrating Nowruz means showing love for protection of environment, nature, human connectivity and respectful attitude towards natural sources of life affirmatively. By initiatives of Tajikistan and other countries of the world regions, Navruz officially approved by General Assembly of the United Nations for the first time in 2010 and was accepted as International festival accordingly.
During the Independence Day of Tajikistan, the President of the country H.E. Mr. Imamali Rahmon the celebration of Navruz and its traditions and revived and presented to the world as symbol of freedom, prosperity, and peace strengthening friendship and among all peoples and respecting of nature. President of Tajikistan said that Navruz, with all its rich and colorful history, has been revived in the country where having all its richness and diversity as a symbol of a new day, the beginning of a new year, means of self-knowledge and self-awareness, unity and mutual understanding of the people.
In fact, the arrival of Nowruz heralding the fragrance and grace of Spring season, the active of cultivation of farmers and planters planting the first corn on their lands. "Nowruznoma" of Umar Khayyam and "Al-tafhim" of Aburayhan Beruni shows and verifies the antiquity of Nowruz, which was celebrated in different eras.
Tajikistan well known writer Sadriddin Aini (1878-1954), with his eloquence and knowledge, has written all the scenes of people's lives in his Yoddoshtho (Memoirs) discovering the cultures and languages including Nowruz and its traditions in his book. According to him Navruz started in earlier ages and considered as a pre-Islamic festival. Therefore, the Tajik people celebrate it for a week and consider its arrival at the beginning of spring season. In fact, it adds to the sowing of grain crops and the beginning of other cultivation and land work, and it becomes a factor of abundance of people, which becomes the reason for their works life.
According to Sadriddin Ainy during Navruz people and farmers gathered in the fields in the villages, engaging in different activities including wrestling and other physical activities, giving new strength to their bodies depressed by coldness of winter season.
It should be noted that most of the peoples and nationalities of the world, with their customs and traditions, culture and civilization, festivals and ceremonies, drinking and dressing, and local sports and languages, play and revive the national identity and respect for their personalities and people.
The people of Central Asia and South Asia including Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan have a special status with their cultures, languages, ethnicities and customs. According to historical sources, the countries of India and Pakistan are the largest regions in the world with different ethnicities and customs. Pakistan is one of the first country recognizing the independence of Tajikistan. The cities of Dushanbe and Lahore have been declared sister cities since 1973. Meanwhile there are a lot of similarities and uniqueness among these regions and one of which is the celebration of Navruz festival.
The cities of Dushanbe and Lahore are the linkers of the history and civilization of Central and South Asia matching the Punjab and Panjrud regions where are the residents of peaceful architects, cultural leaders and the continuation of the literature and culture of Rudaki and Aini, Masoud Saadi Salman, Muhammad Iqbal, Mirzo Tursunzoda and Faiz Ahmadi Faiz, Hafiz Jolandhari and Hasan Ahmad Dani etc.
The city of Lahore is considered the eighteenth largest city in the world, and as a center of poets and writers, as well as museums and libraries, it is full of works and libraries of scholars who wrote and developed their works mostly in the Persian-Tajik language, and their recognition is the basis of cooperation between Central Asia and South Asia.
During the different reigns people of Indian Subcontinent celebrated various festivities according to famous writers and journalists of the South Asian region, Sayyid Sibti Hasan (1916 - 1986) in his book entitled "Mozi ke Mazar" (Mazar of the Past)[1]. He mentioned that in ancient times, Nowruz was a seasonal festival, which was celebrated everywhere in the spring.
According to sources Pakistanis celebrate Nowruz calling it as “Jashn-i-Baharan” or Spring festivities will be held in different cities including Lahore that is Dushanbe twin city since 1973 in the end of February till end of March consequently. Meanwhile the organizing headquarters committee stated on 14th march 2024 that Jashan-e-Baharan will be celebrated from the 21st to the 23rd of March 2024 at Farid Park Commercial Area Bahawalpur. The event will be organized in a magnificent manner, special flower show stalls by schools, colleges, parks. Different types of crops will be presented in the stall by the Agriculture and Research Department, and stalls of Sher Bagh Bahawalpur will feature stuffed dead birds and animals accordingly. Bahawalpur is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is one of the ten largest cities of Pakistan and 6th most populous city of Punjab. Bahawalpur was established in 1748 by Nawab Bahawal Khan[2]. The city flourished as a trading post on trade routes between Central Asia including Afghanistan and central India. Lal Suhanra is a national park in Pakistan is situated in the east of Bahawalpur and it is one of South Asia's largest national parks and is a UNESCO declared Biosphere Reserve notable for the diversity of its desert, forest, and wetland ecosystems[3].
Meanwhile in Quetta city of Pakistan, the people cook special cakes and sweets such as "ras malai", "suhun halwa" and "barfi" and congratulate each other. They consider the coming of spring and the planting of seedlings, having fun, giving chicken eggs to each other, visiting each other's homes, wrestling,horse riding, bullfighting and horse-fighting as good traditions should be preserved.
In conclusion, the coming of spring and the Navruz holiday with its ceremonies and traditions have been welcomed in most countries of the world, especially in Tajikistan from the ancient times meeting spring pleasant, greeting each others, appreciate and respect the splendor and beauty of the environment, for its development and prosperity. They organized special social and cultural programs to decorate and refresh this world with a pure heart, healthy and brave, human love and wisdom. Thus, with the arrival of splendid Spring and Novruz since ancient times, showed that the revival of nature has begun, greeting people of the world, protecting the beauty of the environment by organizing special social and cultural programs for their development and prosperity.
In this context, it is suggested that the states should work together and solve the issues using the following formula created by me as a module of peace, prosperity, and productivity for better cooperation and regional integration in the light of global public diplomacy following the “PEACE” formula
Promotion – promote peace, stability producing progressive generations
Economization – economize society using its sources politely
Activation – activate the programs and projects actively
Cooperation – cooperate and collaborate towards better life of humanity
Elimination – eliminate public risks and threats saving the people life
In conclusion, welcoming of Spring with earth plantation and Navruz celebration the people of all countries can share their happiness and multi-cultures to live in the light of freedom, peace and prosperity making the world as world of friendship and familiarity under pleasant life. Thus, International Nowruz festivity joins humanity with its antique traditions toward peaceful plentiful life. Let us hope for better life, grip the opportunities that lead us toward progressive life ahead, and work collectively building peaceful, sustainable and inclusive world for all human beings and environment.
Sources
Mirsaid Rahmonov
Regional Analyst/Senior researcher
Institute of Asian and European Studies
National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan
[1] Faiz festival-Tribute paid to Sibte Hasab,The Express Tribune newspaper
[2] Wright, Arnold, ed. (1922). Indian States: A Biographical, Historical, and Administrative Survey. Asian Educational Services. p. 145. ISBN 9788120619654.
[3] "Lal Suhanra National Park | Bahawalpur". bahawalpur.punjab.gov.pk.
