Happy nowruz
Uyghur young men enjoy a traditional dance at the Central University for Nationalities on March 20. Photo: Abduwili
By Liu Xuan
Last Saturday, amid the dust storm, 60 Uyghur men dressed in traditional costume began to dance the Mashrap, a traditional Uyghur festival dance, in front of the auditorium of the Central University for Nationalities.
"We are celebrating our coming Nowruz; beginning of new year," said Abduwili, a male Uyghur sophomore in the Central University for Nationalities.
"This is my happiest time each year, getting together with Uyghur fellows and having a day filled with colorful traditional activities, sports, poem recitals, singing, dancing and cooking," he said.
On Monday night in Huadu Hotel, hundreds of Iranians in Beijing celebrated Nowruz in the capital, accompanied by Iranian embassy staff and several famous Iranian musicians in town for the event.
Observing Nowruz
The 2010 Nowruz festival at the Central University for Nationalities (the 25th celebrated there) attracted more than 1,000 Uyghur people across the capital and many spectators.
Nowruz is not a festival exclusive to Uyghur. Worldwide many people embrace Nowruz as the start of their new year.
"It [Nowruz] has been celebrated for over 3,000 years in the Balkans, the Black Sea Basin, the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Middle East and other regions," stated the UN's general assembly.
"The beginning of Nowruz is the beginning of Spring Festival. We see Nowruz as the beginning of spring and new life for the nature," said A.M. Sabeghi, Cultural Counselor of the Islamic Republic of Iran in China.
On February 23, March 21 was granted "International Day of Nowruz" status by the UN. "Nowruz this year has been given international flavor by the UN's recognition," said Sabeghi.
"Nowruz, like other traditional festivals, is a reminder of cultural diversity and our own identity," he said.
"By celebrating the traditional holiday in any country by any people is a kind of preservation of their identity," he said. "If a nation loses its own identity, it will be lost in the modern world."
"Now more than 500 Iranians live in Beijing, and almost double this number live in other major cities across China, especially students," said Sabeghi.
He also said China's economy is developing fast. Aside from this, tens of thousands of Iranians come each year to China for business travel or sightseeing.
The communication between the two countries is growing day by day, he said.
The festival, however, is still new to many Han people. When dressed in Uyghur tra-ditional dress on Nowruz day, Miribangul is approached by many Han people.
"They ask me what this celebration is for. I tell them it's our Spring Festival. They are almost all surprised to learn there are other forms of Spring Festival," said Miribangul, a Uyghur student in the Central University for Nationalities.