On the day of the meeting of the Jaz Mayram — the spring holiday, people usually dressed festively, striving not to think about anything bad. This holiday is primarily a family one. Wherever a person may be, they must come to the uy-bule chogulup tamakhtanu — the family reunion meal with their parents. An unchanging feature of traditional Nooruz (New Year) is the expression of respect for the elders, masters of their craft, and aksakals. From the mountains, they brought archu — tree-like juniper, which was burned, and the smoke was used to fumigate the yurt, the bed, the clothes of the sick, inhaling the fragrant aroma, accompanied by loud incantations:
Alas-alas
Ar baléeden kalas,
Eski jyl ketti
Jany jyl keldi.
Alas-alas
Aidan aman,
Jyldan esen,
Jakshylyktı tenir berdi,
Jaryk kundy kenir berdi.
Alas... alas...
Deliver us from misfortune.
Protect us from calamities.
The old year has passed,
The new one has come.
Deliver us from misfortune,
Let us live through the month unharmed,
Complete the year successfully.
In each yurt, they cooked a liquid dish made from millet or barley, wheat with the addition of whole milk (sometimes made with meat) and treated everyone who came to congratulate them on Nooruz. It was believed that what was eaten on New Year would be abundant throughout the year. In the afternoon, the wise aksakals gathered in the main yurt of the aila, where a respected and honored elderly person lived, and shared stories about where they had been and what they had seen, listened to what was new in the world, what the weather would be like in the new year, what kind of harvest and offspring were expected, and discussed the news. Now, in the republic, this spring holiday is being revived in a new form, with performances, musical evenings, concerts, and more dedicated to it. The Nooruz holiday is becoming increasingly popular, instilling sincere faith in the improvement of the people's lives.
