Nowruz and Lavash Bread Added by UNESCO to List of Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Independent Aggregator of Persian News/Events, Kodoom.com: Nowruz, the celebration of the New Year (Spring Equinox), shared by 12 countries - Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan - has been inscribed again on the UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, following the decisions adopted by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, taking place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Representatives of Kazakhstan and India hailed Iran’s leadership in the Nowruz case that included participation of 14 other countries including Russia and Syria.
Kodoom.com lists and indexes Nowruz events across the planet every year. In recent years, even the White House has been celebrating Nowruz with messages by Michelle Obama and John Kerry.
New Year in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan is celebrated on March 21st known as Nauryz, Navruz, Nawrouz, Nevruz, Nooruz, Novruz, Nowrouz or Nowruz. For two weeks, various customs take place including a special meal, family visits, public rituals and street performances to encourage peaceful communities, shared and promoted through participation.
Separately, Flatbread (Lavash) making and sharing culture used in Azerbaijan, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia and Turkey was inscribed on the UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Versions of Flatbread include Lavash, Katyrma, Jupka, Yufka.
The culture of making and sharing flatbread in communities of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia and Turkey carries social functions that have enabled it to continue as a widely-practised tradition. Making the bread (lavash, katyrma, jupka or yufka) involves at least three people, often family members, with each having a role in its preparation and baking. In rural areas, neighbours participate in the process together. Traditional bakeries also make the bread. It is baked using a tandyr/tanūr (an earth or stone oven in the ground), sāj (a metal plate) or kazan (a cauldron). Besides regular meals, flatbread is shared at weddings, births, funerals, various holidays and during prayers. In Azerbaijan and Iran, it is put on the bride’s shoulders or crumbled over her head to wish the couple prosperity while in Turkey it is given to the couple’s neighbours. At funerals in Kazakhstan it is believed the bread should be prepared to protect the deceased while a decision is made from God and in Kyrgyzstan sharing the bread provides a better afterlife for the deceased. The practice, transmitted by participation within families and from master to apprentice, expresses hospitality, solidarity and certain beliefs that symbolize common cultural roots reinforcing community belonging.
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