TEHRAN – Iran and Turkmenistan are scheduled to celebrate Noruz, the Persian New Year traditions shared between the two nations, during a joint event at their border crossing on March 27, CHTN reported.

Iran and Turkmenistan are scheduled to celebrate Noruz at one of their border crossings, [which is situated in Razavi Khorasan province], provincial tourism chief Abolfazl Mokaramifar said on Sunday, CHTN reported.

The neighbors will cherish the occasion in order to deepen friendship and cultural commonalities long been existed between the two, the official said.

Noruz, which usually falls on March 21st every year, marks the beginning of spring across a vast geographical area. The feast was initially registered on the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009, as a common tradition for Iran, Azerbaijan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan. However, the five other countries put in requests officially to be added to the list during a meeting held in Tehran in January 2014.

In December 2016, Iran and 11 other countries registered Noruz as a common tradition during the 11th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Noruz, according to UNESCO, promotes the values of peace and solidarity between generations and within families, as well as reconciliation and neighborliness, thus contributing to cultural diversity and friendship among peoples and various communities.

Noruz traditions, however, vary from place to place, ranging from leaping over fires and streams in Iran to tightrope walking, lighting candles at house doors, traditional games such as horse racing or the traditional wrestling practiced in Kyrgyzstan.

AFM/MG