People's Holiday of Nooruz
Saturday, March 21, 2026
The Nooruz holiday in Kyrgyzstan marks the coming of spring and is celebrated on the day of the Spring Equinox. Usually, this occurs on 21 March, but the date of the holiday can vary slightly from year to year. This holiday is especially connected with the Zoroastrian religion, but almost everyone in the country celebrates it. In 2027, People's Holiday of Nooruz falls on Sunday 21 March. The holiday will be on Tuesday 21 March in 2028. The day of Nooruz begins with a time of music, with the native “karnay”, a long, trumpet-like horn, being the predominant instrument. Then it becomes a time of feasting, with a meal called “sumolok“ being traditional. Sumolok can take days to cook sometimes, and it is traditional for women to sing and chat for hours on end while cooking it together. There are many good luck traditions for Nooruz. If you find a stone in your sumoluk, that means any wish you make over it will come true. If it snows on this day, that is considered especially lucky for the year ahead. And everyone cleans their house, repays their debts, and asks others they may have offended to forgive them. There are also many festivals and dances held, along with archery, horse, and other competitions. People’s Holiday of Nooruz is a time of fun and merriment, a time of cultural awareness, and is a little like western New Year’s Day.
History
The Nooruz holiday in Kyrgyzstan marks the coming of spring and is celebrated on the day of the Spring Equinox. Usually, this occurs on 21 March, but the date of the holiday can vary slightly from year to year. This holiday is especially connected with the Zoroastrian religion, but almost everyone in the country celebrates it. Then it becomes a time of feasting, with a meal called “sumolok“ being traditional. Sumolok can take days to cook sometimes, and it is traditional for women to sing and ch
How It's Celebrated
The Nooruz holiday in Kyrgyzstan marks the coming of spring and is celebrated on the day of the Spring Equinox. Usually, this occurs on 21 March, but the date of the holiday can vary slightly from year to year. This holiday is especially connected with the Zoroastrian religion, but almost everyone i