Azerbaijan starts Novruz celebrations

On March 19, Azerbaijan started celebrating the Novruz-Bairam - the festival of spring and New Year.

Folk festivities will cover all the regions of the country. In Baku, celebrations take place in Primorskiy Boulevard. Here, theatrical performances were organized: rope-walkers, contests of athletes, performances of masters of folk art, pop groups and humorists. Baked sweets and dried fruits were brought here from different regions of the country.

The main attribute of Novruz - the festive table - should be decorated with seeds, rice, coloured eggs, nuts, dried fruits and the main sweets - baklava and shakyar-bura. Baklava is made from puff pastry stuffed with walnuts, hazelnuts or almonds mixed with sugar. The same stuffing fills shakyar-bura, which looks like a cake, decorated with patterns.

According to the Centre for Economic Studies, the festive table for Novruz will cost 134 manats (about 161 US dollars) for an average Azerbaijani family of 4. This sum includes sweets, fruits, juices, meat, rice and other typical products of this feast.

On the eve of the holiday, according to the tradition, people visit tombs of their relatives and help the sick and poor. Brides are presented with gifts - bairamlygs.