Nauroz was celebrated across Jammu and Kashmir with zeal in the midst of isolated rainfall at some places.
Nauroz marks the first day of spring. Nauroz celebrates both renewal and rebirth, symbolised by the coming of spring. It is celebrated in different ways in different parts of the world, with customs that are more local than global. The same is true about its celebration in Kashmir.
People in Kashmir usually start planting from this day. It is also expected that light to moderate rains would occur on this day. It also happened on Monday as the festival was being celebrated.
International Nauroz Day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution in 2010.
The traditional Nauroz dish in Kashmir is the local Nadur (lotus stem) and fish. The fish are deeply fried and cooked with Nadur in very hot spices. Another famous dish is the dried turnip with chicken, which is prepared by having deeply fried chicken with the dried and fried turnips. There are special sweets and cakes prepared for guests on this day.
On this day, people traditionally prefer leech therapy to treat their various ailments, believing it to be more effective than on other days.
One of the medicos dealing with Ayurveda informed that leeches are effective at increasing blood circulation and breaking up blood clots.
“It should be no surprise that they can be used to treat circulatory disorders and cardiovascular disease. Chemicals derived from leech saliva have been made into pharmaceutical drugs that can treat hypertension, varicose veins, haemorrhoids and skin problems,” he said.
Celebrated almost in all Central Asian countries, Nauroz is part of Kashmir’s culture.
As per historians, with the coming of great spiritual personalities like Shah-i-Hamdan (RA), Bul Bul Shah (RA), Mir Shamsuddin Iraqi (RA) and others, Kashmir came to be known as the Persia of the East - Iran-e-Sageer – that had very close links with Central Asia and the Middle East through the traditional silk route.
“As Kashmir came under the influence of the cultural, economic and industrial growth of the Central Asia, people adopted many customs and culturally new traditions, which are now deeply rooted in generations and one among them is the tradition of Nauroz,” said one historian.