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Celebrations of Novruz begin a month before the actual holiday date. Novruz is related to four elements of nature -- water, fire, earth and wind. A legend goes that God created man from earth and water, gave him warmth and ordered the wind to wake him up.
Novruz Tuesdays are considered sacred. The four Tuesdays are named after these elements and called Su Chershenbesi (Water Tuesday), Od Chershenbesi (Fire Tuesday), Yel Chershenbesi (Wind Tuesday) and Ilakhir Chershenbe or Torpaq Chershenbesi (Earth or Last Tuesday).
According to the traditional beliefs the water is reborn on the first Tuesday: still waters come to motion; The fire reborn on the second one, the earth - on the third. On the fourth Tuesday the wind opens tree buds and spring begins. Every Tuesday is celebrated as a holiday in families. Families prepare national meals, national sweets, lay the table, they wear new clothes. Relatives visit each other on Tuesdays. The last Tuesday is especially widely celebrated. This year the last Tuesday coincides with the holiday, that is the last Tuesday will be on the 20th of March which adds greatly to the holiday.

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Traditional Novruz Sweets are shekerbura, (made of flour and nuts or almonds and sugar) pakhlava( made of flour, wallnuts and sugar and butter) goghal (made of flour, butter, sugar or salt). Pakhlava represents stars, shekerbura half moon, goghal represeents the sun.

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It is tradition to plant a tree at Novruz and in no instance should a tree be cut down. According to popular belief, it is a good sign to plant a mulberry tree, fig tree or chestnut tree at Novruz. This tradition is continued in modern-day Azerbaijan with the laying out of parks, gardens and green areas at Novruz.Whoever is planning to build a house believes that the foundation should be laid during Novruz so that the house should always be successful. It is a golden rule of Novruz that on these days you should not curse, lie, swear, gossip or criticize – in other words you must not do anything bad. On the Last Tuesday (Akhir Charsanba) before Novruz you should jump over a bonfire, light torches and put lit candles on the table. During the night of the Last Tuesday and throughout Novruz as many candles as there are members of the family are lit and must not be blown out ahead of time. In the evening on the Last Tuesday children knock

Kosa-kosa by Azim Azimzada, oil on canvas

at the doors of neighbouring houses, leave a hat or small sack on the threshold or throw them over a fence and hide. The householders should return the hats with holiday treats. Then the gathered food is shared among the poor. On The last Tuesday people go to the doors and wish something and listen to people's houses, the very first heard word determines whether the person's wish will come true or not, it depends if the heard word is good or bad one, if you hear a good word your wish is sure to realize.
Music festivals are held in the city centre where Kosa and Kechal and Spring Girl participate.

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Among Novruz holiday ceremonies the most important one is the growing of samani (wheatgrass, grew in a plate) which is a symbol of fertility. The ceremony of the making of samani is accompanied by ceremonial songs and dances. A few weeks before Novruz, women take wheat seeds, water them and sing the traditional song 'Samani, protect me, and I will grow you every year.'

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Novruz is an ancient holiday which reflects the culture, national and spiritual values of our people and popularizes them in the world. It's been celebrated for more than 3 thousands years not only in Azerbaijan but also in the Balkans, The Black Sea countries, in the Caucasus, in the Middle Asia and in the NearEast. It is celebrated on March 20. The 21st of March is the first day of Spring. Houses and yards are cleaned, trees are pruned and fields cleared on Novruz eve. Novruz is a holiday of fertility, friendship, brotherhood. It is a holiday when people at odds reconcile, they forgive one another's faults, they visit the old, the ill, the needy. People share their food and happiness with each other.
Novruz holiday was included into the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2009