Epress.am News from Armenia
Azerbaijan is celebrating Ilakhir Chershenbe today, the last Tuesday before the Novruz spring holiday.
The first day of Novruz falls on the spring equinox, the day when the hours of daylight approximately equal those of darkness, reports News.az.
The four Tuesdays before Novruz are named after the four elements: water, fire, wind and earth. According to legend, God created man from earth and water, gave him warmth and ordered the wind to wake him up. These Tuesdays are, therefore, considered sacred.
Each Chershenbe (Tuesday) has its own traditions. The last Tuesday, Torpag Chershenbesi or Earth Tuesday, is a special day as it’s close to the Novruz holiday.
Traditionally, spring work in the fields starts on Earth Tuesday. The day marks the awakening of the land and the beginning of a new agricultural season.
At midday today, a caravan of camels set off from Azneft Square to the fire-worshippers’ temple at Surakhani. There three torches will be lit from the flames of the temple and the caravan will bring them back to Baku. The torches will in turn light three torches on top of the Maiden Tower.
At 7 pm a concert will be held in front of the Maiden Tower. The concert will be followed by a firework display.
Another firework display will be held on Mar. 20, the eve of Novruz.
On all four Tuesdays and on the eve of Novruz it’s traditional to light bonfires and jump over them. The fires are purifying and take away all your troubles before the start of the new year.