This weekend was one of the more action-packed weekends I’ve had here in Kazakhstan. It was really an excellent one. Sunday was Nauryz which is an ancient New Year celebration that is celebrated throughout Central Asia and the Persian influenced world. And in Kazakhstan it has become a celebration of Kazakh culture. Nauryz literally means “new day” and is meant to mark the end of winter and the beginning of spring and the new growth and life that comes with it. This weekend embodied that idea of a “new day” because the week prior had seen at least 3 days in a row of snow, but it was met with the weekend’s sunny, warmer days. Now the snow is beginning to melt again, and I’m really hoping it just goes away for good.
In class last week we talked about St. Patrick’s Day and the events of “Bloody Sunday” that took place in Ireland in 1972. We celebrated Irish culture and also discussed yet another example of an oppressive force using violence to get what it wants and coerce those without power to do its bidding. It was really interesting, and I really enjoyed the thoughtful input from my students.
On Friday we celebrated Nauryz at Apple Tree with the children. It was a blast. We played traditional Kazakh games. One of the games involved one boy and one girl racing on fake horses to a specific spot. The girl gets a head start, and if the boy is able to catch her she must kiss him on the cheek (most of the girls didn’t want to kiss the boys so they blew kisses). But if the boy doesn’t catch her, then she gets to chase him with a whip. The kids really enjoyed the games, and I really enjoyed experiencing this with them. The walk there was pretty grueling, however. The snow was really unstable because of the warming temperatures. I would walk on the surface of the snow a few paces and then fall a few inches through the snow’s crust. It was like this pretty much the whole way, and needless to say, I was pretty tired by the time I arrived in Maikaduk.
Then, on Saturday Erich and I went to one of our national friend’s apartment and spend time with his grandma and grandpa. They are both about 82-years-old, and his grandpa fought for Russia in World War II. His grandma was a math and science teacher. They are a funny pair, although not too healthy. The grandpa kind of speaks his mind, and it can be pretty funny sometimes. His wife tells our friend not to translate everything he says for us because some of it’s bad. It’s fun, though, to sit and talk with them—very interesting.
Sunday was the city Nauryz celebration. A good part of the main road through downtown was closed off, and people came and set up yurts along the road. Inside the yurts you could get all kinds of food. We went into one yurt, and the people inside found out we were American and let us eat for free. They did some toasts and talked with us for a while. There were dancers, musicians, singers, etc. all along the street. It was really fun to just walk and observe. Everyone was in high spirits and some had had too much spirits if you know what I mean. It was definitely a memorable experience.
Here’s a link to my Facebook pictures from March. There you can find my Nauryz pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2048231&id=69603689&l=b231e66fe2
