International Festivals and Events in Kazakhstan
The World of Nomads
Kóshpendiler Álemi International Festvial of nomadic culture takes place in Nur-Sultan.
„Kóshpendiler Álemi“ („World of Nomads“) Ethnic Festival is a unique project which presents an ethno historical platform of nomadic civilization development. The festival program includes: knowledge of folkways and traditions of Kazakh people; ethnic music concerts; professional archers, kokpars, berkutschi competitions; battle performance by national Batyrs, whose armor was recreated, relying on historical records; horse riding and fighting skills performance.
In addition, the festival provides unique chance to participate in master classes of thick felt, leather and ceramic products reproduction. Also guests of the festival will be able to enjoy the fascinating world of traditional local cuisine.
The Spirit of Tengri
The Spirit of Tengri is a prominent international festival of contemporary ethnic music, a multicultural project that joins ethnic musicians from all over the world on the Kazakh soil. It is a way to unite and accumulate the contribution of contemporary musicians and preserve the heritage of the ancestors.
The Spirit of Tengri is an annual event organized in the form of grand open air concerts featuring world-renowned masters of contemporary ethnic sound. The multicultural joint project is called to unite the efforts of the current generation to preserve the spiritual riches of the ancestors. Participants of the festival are successors of the music traditions rooted deep in the thousands of years of history of the Great Steppe.
The Spirit of Tengri held in Almaty, Kazakhstan every year since 2013 has brought together musicians from Georgia, Turkey, Ecuador, Altai, Bashkortostan, Norway, Buryatiya, Estonia, Hungary, Tyva, Austria, Germany, China, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
Nauryz Festival
Nauryz is the most important holiday in the Kazakh calendar.
Nauryz means ‘new day’, it is celebrated over several days from March 21st and marks Persian New Year which begins on the Vernal Equinox. The month of March is known as Nauryz in Kazakhstan.
Since 2009, there have been officially three days of bank holidays for Nauryz beginning on March 21st. If the holiday falls over a weekend, the holiday will be extended to the following weekdays.
History of Nauryz
This is a very ancient holiday, known to have been celebrated for over five thousand years by different cultures in central Asia. Certainly noticing that the days were starting to get longer than nights on the exposed plains of the steppes must have come as welcome relief to the tribes living there after a harsh winter.
As with other Spring festivals around the world, traditional customs focus on the idea of renewal, rebirth and a chance to start again. Acts such as house cleaning, settling debts and forgiving past offences by others are common.
Nauryz celebrations today are a mixture of old and new, ranging from preparing rich food to rock concerts. In fact, these days it seems that anything goes in marking Nauryz, with the prevailing rule being the more festive, the better.
