Dagestan celebrates Novruz Bayram

On the day of vernal equinox, Dagestan marked Novruz Bayram marking the beginning of spring. Many areas of the republic hosted celebrations culminating with a ritual fire.

The Novruz is one of the oldest festivals celebrated in the East, including in Dagestan. The holiday is traditionally celebrated at night on March 22, when the day is equal to the night.

The Novruz Bayram is also called the "feast of the first furrow". The culmination of the holiday is a ritual fire. People make bonfires and jump over the flames, leaving, according to the legend, all their diseases and troubles in the past year.

In Dagestan, the village of Sabnava held great celebrations on the occasion of Novruz, where the whole population of the village took part. The villagers said that on this day in the house men and women sit separately. It is forbidden to offend the hosts; and guests should eat as much delicacies as possible.

The nationwide spring holiday of Novruz was also marked in Makhachkala. "There are so few holidays; and I've gladly come here with my children," a resident of Makhachkala named Aminat told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.