The last of several New Year’s celebrations till next year, Nauryz celebrates the first day of spring or Equinox and the beginning of the year in the Persian Calendar. This holiday is widely celebrated in Central Asia as a day of significant cultural celebration, traditionally marked by hospitality and street parties.
This year we held our sixth annual Nauryz celebration at the Social Village where we invited all of our clients, students, volunteers and partners at Salem to celebrate with us.
The celebration is the first outdoor event of the year and always includes plov, the very popular local rice dish, and tea. This year we just barely had enough to feed all of our guests.
Along with delicious food and tea, no party would be complete in Central Asia without dancing, singing, games and of course speeches! Our director Tim made his first public speech in Russian, and we were treated to some cultural delights with dances and songs by the kids from one of the orphanages that we regularly visit.
There were also the yearly favorites, including tug of war, arm wrestling and more dancing.
It was great to see everyone having a great time together in the Spring sunshine, dancing and enjoying the atmosphere. Events like this are a great reminder of the growing community at Salem Social Village, showing how far we have come and our potential for the future.
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