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UN Secretary Generalâ€™s message on Novruz Holiday

16 March 2010 14:03 (UTC +04:00)

The General Assemblyâ€™s decision this year to recognize the International Day of Nowruz is evidence of a growing global awareness of the holidayâ€™s significance not only in the regions where it is celebrated but around the world.
For millennia, when the sun crosses the equator and the northern hemisphere enters Spring, peoples in the Balkans, the Black Sea Basin, the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Middle East and other regions have carried out their own special traditions in celebration of Nowruz. These rituals, from repainting homes to visiting friends to preparing symbolic meals, are infused with a spirit of renewal and can inspire not only those conducting them but all people.

As we commemorate this first International Day of Nowruz, I hope countries and people around the world will draw on this festivalâ€™s history and customs to promote harmony with the natural world and foster global peace and goodwill.

Note that, The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution on 18 February declaring 21 March International Novruz Day. The resolution was the initiative of Azerbaijan’s representation at the UN. Prior to its adoption, the draft resolution was revised by UN member states Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,Tajikistan, Turkey and Turkmenistan, all countries where Novruz is celebrated.
In September 2009, the UN’s cultural agency, UNESCO, included Novruz in its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. "The Azerbaijani-American Council welcomes the UNGA decision to declare Novruz as a part of international heritage," the council said in a statement.
"Widely marked in Azerbaijan as the Holiday of Spring, Novruz was also celebrated for centuries by diverse nations spread from the Middle East and Anatolia to Central Asia. The decision of an authoritative international body, such as the UNGA, would prevent further misattribution of Novruz to any one nation or culture, making part of a global human heritage. We look forward to celebration of the upcoming 21 March 2010 as the first International Novruz Day."