Ancient celebration of spring comes to 21st century Russia

Russian citizens from all different ethnic backgrounds have come together in Moscow to celebrate the festival of Navruz, or Spring New Year. The end of the Russian winter is always a good excuse for a party.

And as well as finally being able to leave their fur coats at home, Muscovites now have the chance to welcome the coming of spring by joining in an ancient festival.

Navruz has been enjoyed in central Asia for thousands of years. It means “New Day” in Farsi and it marks the triumph of light over darkness and the awakening of new life on Earth.

Representatives from more than 20 countries are in the Russian capital to show how they celebrate it. Organisers say it is a chance for the whole of the city to share in an international holiday

“There are 168 different nationalities living in Moscow now. They are united because they are all Muscovites but they also want to celebrate their own native culture and observe the holidays that are held in their motherlands.  Our main goal is to bring people together to celebrate this occasion,” said Alexey Alexandrov, an organiser of the event.

As well as a concert highlighting the importance of new life and new beginnings to Navruz, visitors were treated to displays of arts and crafts, traditional dance and some dazzling costumes.

And for those taking part, the day was a chance to share their cultures with the rest of the world.

“Many different nationalities have come here today, each of them showing their traditions of music, theatre, art and food. We are all here to celebrate peace and friendship,” said Ora Begh, a Kazakh performer.