Türk Kültürü ve Hacı Bektaş Velî Araştırma Dergisi (Sep 2024)
MEDIA COVERAGE OF NOWRUZ RITUALS AND REFLECTIONS: SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES ACROSS THE TURKIC WORLD
Abstract
Culture is the collective value of societies, encompassing the skills of people to live and produce together. In this sense, culture is the expression of values such as language, traditions, customs, and practices passed down from generation to generation within a society. One of the most significant of these transmissions is festivals. For the independent Turkic states, one of the most important festival-like events celebrated is Nowruz. Nowruz carries different meanings for the Independent Turkic States and is celebrated each year around March 21 with special rituals. These rituals include egg tapping, jumping over fire, symbolic iron forging, and making visits. For the Turkic States, Nowruz generally symbolizes abundance, prosperity, unity, rejuvenation, and new life. This research looks at the celebration of Nowruz, a holiday that represents plenty, growth, togetherness, revival, and new beginnings, in seven Independent Turkish States. Nowruz happens on March 21 and the days around it. Nowruz has special traditions like egg tapping, fire jumping, and iron shaping, showing both similar and different cultural customs among these states. Though there are differences, the fundamental essence of Nowruz, based on a shared historical culture, shows the enduring link between past and future traditions. Using content analysis with Maxqda 2020, this study examined news reports from 2015-2020 in three newspapers from each of Turkey, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. Results show a focus on events rather than rituals, with usual practices like fire jumping and egg tapping next to special local traditions and games, showing the cultural importance of Nowruz as a cherished and ongoing celebration.
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