Fun and festivities in Tajikistan - celebrations, festivals and cultural events

Tajikistan is a southern latitude country, nevertheless, winter months often bring cold weather and snow. This makes everyone wait for spring impatiently. Tender snowdrop flowers are the first symbol of the approaching spring. The snowdrop holiday doesn’t have a fixed date because it depends solely on the weather. In Tajikistan, it has different names – Gulgardoni in the east, Boychechak in Sughd Region, and Guli Siyahgos in the south. When first snowdrops start blooming, children never miss an opportunity to please their moms, grandmothers, or sisters with a small bouquet of these charming spring flowers. In return, children receive pastries or fruits. Families come to enjoy the traditional pilaf together. Such days are full of the festive mood and cheerfulness. Tourists also feel this atmosphere of excitement.

March 8 is not only International Women’s Day in Tajikistan but also the date of one more holiday – Mother’s Day. This holiday was the initiative of the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon. On this day, there are always many thematic exhibitions, concerts, sports competitions, and other events. Even small villages try to organize celebrations. After March 8, the country starts preparing for Navruz – one of the most important holidays in Tajikistan. Tourists might not notice preparations of local people unless they are invited to visit a house as a guest. However, the preparations on the country level are easy to see – the streets and parks are cleaned everywhere. By the way, not only utility companies do the cleaning. Local people help them too – the Soviet tradition of the Saturday voluntary work before Navruz is still alive in the country.

Navruz has always been one of the main holidays for Tajik people. It is celebrated on spring equinox day but the festivities last several days from the 21st to 24th of March. Navruz is also a symbolic start of the new agricultural year. Traditional amusements that tourists can find on this day: horse racing, Tajik wrestling (gushtigiri), illusionist and rope-walker performances, strong men competitions, and buzkashi (a horse-mounted game). Sumanak, a dish made from germinated wheat, is one of the main holiday treats. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

The process of cooking sumanak starts a week before the holiday. This time is needed to start the germination process in wheat. A day before Navruz, the wheat is ground and then boiled for 12 hours. Sumanak must be ready before the sunrise. Quran readings before the start of the cooking are mandatory. Women and children sing songs while making sumanak. If you cannot try homemade sumanak, you can always order it in a teahouse. Tajiks are exceptionally friendly and cheerful on Navruz, and tourists can feel that.

Sairi Lola is a festival dedicated to tulips. Tajikistan is the motherland of this flower, so all mountain valleys with fertile soil cover with a bright carpet of blooming tulips every year. The tulip blooming period coincides with the ripening of the first harvest. Once the harvesting is finished, local people celebrate the tulip festival. During Sairi Lola, elders have more time to share their wisdom with the youth because elderly people are traditionally in the center of this event. Tourists can see the following activities and amusements on Sairi Lola: dancing and choir band performances, traditional horse racing, and Tajik wrestling. September 9 – Independence Day – is a national holiday and a day off. Cities and towns across Tajikistan get festive decorations. The theatrical shows and holiday processions are an essential part of the celebration. The event ends with the fireworks in Dushanbe.

Every year on the third Saturday of April, the capital of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, celebrates its birthday. Festive events take place everywhere in the city – in parks, concert halls, and stadiums. Tajiks love their land and are thankful for the gifts that it gives. It is easy to notice this because there are so many agricultural holidays in the country. There are celebrations dedicated to harvesting, honey, pumpkin, and muskmelon. Not many years ago, two more agricultural holidays appeared in Tajikistan. The country’s president established two more holidays – the grape day (the third Saturday of August) and the apple day (the third Saturday of September).

In Khujand, horse racing, Tajik wrestling, and horse polo are also essential activities during national holidays. However, there is one more traditional activity in the region – canoeing competitions. Bright and colorful boats race on the waters of the Syr Darya River. No holiday is possible without the canoeing competition here. Khujand is worth visiting even if there are no holidays in the coming days simply because this is a very old city – it was established in the 7th century BC.

The city of Khorog (Khorugh) hosts a music festival called “The Roof of the World” at the end of July. This is a folk festival, so consider visiting it if you want to see national dancing, listen to the traditional national music instruments, and familiarize yourself with the national music culture. Music concerts and folk band performances are the core of the festival. For tourists, it is also interesting to attend various master-classes and meetings with famous musicians. The festival gives an insight into the culture and traditions of different nations by showing interesting documental films.