Penza, 22 March 2016. PenzaNews. The Penza regional civil organization “Uzbek Community” held a celebration of Nowruz on Tuesday, March 22.

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Over 60 people gathered for the festivities in bar restaurant “Provence,” some dressed in traditional costumes, and were seated at the long tables full with national dishes, where they watched the concert that featured both folk performances and modern songs.

The celebration began with a staging of a traditional Uzbek wedding. In addition, the young members of the national community showed their skill in national dances, sparking up some of the adults and children from the audience to join them.

Nowruz is the name of an Eastern [Iranian and Persian] New Year, explained the head of the Uzbek community Satimbay Berdiev.

“The rebirth of nature, the coming of spring. This is not related to any religion – it is not a religious celebration. It is a celebration of spring, a cause of good and friendly feelings for the people. And so regardless of nationality, we congratulate everyone and wish you to be happy with the feelings of spring!” he said.

It is customary to celebrate Nowruz outdoors in Uzbekistan, Satimbay Berdiev noted.

“The current weather here in Penza does not let us. Therefore, we decided to celebrate in this restaurant this year. We are celebrating this holiday for the fifth year in a row,” he pointed out.

The celebration of Nowruz is usually preceded by a spring cleaning, both indoors and outdoors, and preparation of sumalyak [also known as sumalak or samanu] – a national dish that is prepared especially for the festivities, Satimbay Berdiev stressed.

There are currently close to 10,000 people in the Uzbek community of the Penza region, Satimbay Berdiev added.

Nowruz is a celebration of the New Year in Iranian calendar, observed by many Iranian and Turkic nations. It usually occurs on March 21.

Many Nowruz celebrants believe that the happiness during the festivities will affect the nature for the rest of the year. Because of that, people are expected to participate in dances, give presents to one another ,and help orphans and those in need.