In 15 photographs, this is the story of how Navruz was celebrated in Uzbekistan from the 1870s to the early 2000s. About half of these photos are black and white; I colorized them using Photoshop (what is Navruz without color). No other changes were made.
Navruz in the late 19th century
In the territory corresponding to modern-day Uzbekistan, Navruz—the spring festival and the day of the vernal equinox—has been celebrated for at least two thousand years. Over time, its ritual practices developed distinctive features, and the holiday itself became associated with prayers in mosques, visits to the mazars of Muslim saints, and sacred springs. And, of course, there were amusements—such as swings (the cover image shows swings at a Navruz celebration on the banks of the Syr Darya, 1890–1900, from the collection of Nizami Ibraimov) and carousels.
Navruz in the 20th century, during the Soviet period
When Uzbekistan was part of the Soviet Union, Navruz was generally celebrated unofficially and was sometimes even prohibited. It was not a public holiday, yet people still marked it. To songs played from tape recorders, entire courtyards would cook sumalak together through the night. From the late 1980s, Navruz in Uzbekistan began to be celebrated officially as well.
Navruz in independent Uzbekistan
After gaining independence, Navruz in Uzbekistan became an official state holiday celebrated on March 21, and festivities often last for several days.
From 1997 to 2016, Navruz was officially celebrated at a venue near Alisher Navoi National Park. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, I was also always among the invited guests at this celebration. The date of the official event at the venue was flexible and did not always coincide with the public holiday.
What feelings do you associate with the Navruz holiday?