I congratulate you on Nauryz holiday!
This spring holiday, when the day is as long as the night, sees nature waking from a long winter's slumber. It therefore symbolizes renewal, prosperity and new hope from time immemorial.
I remember as a schoolboy I saw the celebration of Nauryz for the first time in the late 1980s in Almaty. It was particularly exciting, given that for many years it had been passed into oblivion. Nauryz was banned by the Soviet authorities during the period of struggle against vestiges of the past in 1926 and only in 1988, it returned to the festive calendar.
That very first Nauryz has remained in my memory forever. With what delight I admired the national costumes and decorations of yurts, tasted Nauryz-kozhe and other Kazakh dishes, watched mass competitions, and swung on altybakan.
In fact, the bright, original holiday of the revival of the ancient culture and traditions of Nauryz became a harbinger of the coming independence of our country.
Nauryz is now a national celebration that introduces us to our ancestors' national roots and traditions in this age of globalization.
So may this joyous holiday fill every home with happiness, wealth, and rejuvenation!
Kind regards,
Director of the Presidential Center
of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Bakytzhan TEMIRBOLAT
