Internet users debate on whether Dagestan should celebrate in Novruz Bayram

On March 21, Dagestan held festivities and concerts to mark the Novruz Bayram, symbolizing the beginning of spring. In social networks, debates were launched on whether Muslims should celebrate it.

In September 2009, Novruz was put by the UNESCO on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Since 2010, on the initiative of Azerbaijan and Iran, the holiday was marked at the UN level.

Meanwhile, appeals appeared in social networks not to celebrate Novruz Bayram as "not corresponding to Islam canons." One of these discussions took place on the Facebook in the group "Dagestan in Events".

When the user named Olok Yusupov congratulated everyone with the Novruz, wishing that the year should be peaceful and fertile, another user – Shamil Kuraev – replied that Novruz is not a Muslim holiday. He was supported by the user with the nickname Abu Fatima, who wrote that Muslims have only two holidays - Eid al-Fitr (Uraza Bayram) and Eid al-Adha (Kurban Bayram).

Calls for Muslims not to celebrate Novruz also appeared in a group of Salafism supporters in the social network "VKontakte", where a video was posted on March 20 named "Novruz – Holiday of Fire Worshipers".