Digital nomads and travellers welcome spring on the Kazakh steppe in Nauryz - where ancestral flames, sheephead feasts and knucklebones games kick off a 10-day nomad festival.
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00:00Every March, as winter draws to an end, nomads mark nature's renewal with Nowruz, a celebration
00:07of spring arriving.
00:09This custom is widely celebrated in the Turkic countries of Central Asia and beyond.
00:14In Kazakhstan, Nowruz is an important tradition that stretches back centuries.
00:19Hearty feasts, time-honored rituals, and boundless hospitality.
00:22This is how Kazakhs welcome the arrival of spring.
00:26Join me as I celebrate the full magic of the season the nomad way.
00:30This is Modern Nomads.
00:35For nomads, Nowruz begins before the spring equinox, with celebrations kicking off on
00:40March 14th and peaking from the 21st to 22nd.
00:48Before the first signs of spring, Kazakhs light a sacred fire atop Ottan Mountain in
00:52Mangustau's Adai-Atak complex.
00:57These rituals remain deeply authentic.
01:00Each year, the younger Jews, tribal descendants, take turns leading the festivities.
01:05This year, it's the Adai-Khosai lineage's turn.
01:11But the heart of Nowruz unfolds the next day.
01:38Amal, the festival of renewal.
01:40It's a day of reunions, nomads embrace, exchange blessings, and celebrate surviving winter.
01:50Modern nomads, entrepreneurs, travelers, and digital wanderers see this holiday as a time
01:55for renewal and reconnection, like Mandy from Quebec, who came to explore the culture.
02:00I could see myself as a nomad because I've lived in Canada and I never had a home for
02:05like a year and a half.
02:06I've always been moving.
02:07I could see a bit similarities between my lifestyle and the lifestyle of the Kazakhs.
02:11Everybody just wants to show me like their yurt and just the food that they prepared.
02:18This is the best time to savor Kazakh cuisine.
02:21Tables are overflowing with delights like borsac, fried bread, and furdak, meat stir-fry.
02:30Celebrations continue with folk music, traditional games, and the thrilling Alaman-Baige horse
02:40race.
02:46In Kazakhstan, Nowruz celebrations culminate on March 21st and 22nd, with festivities nationwide
02:53reaching their most vibrant in Astana.
03:07Nomadic games spring to life, inviting all to partake in archery, tug-of-war, and asuk-tos,
03:13a traditional Kazakh game played with sheep knuckle bones.
03:16Visiting from Turkey, Farhad underscores the significance of preserving Nowruz traditions
03:21for future generations.
03:44Other must-visit spots in the capital, festive town squares alive with performances, exhibitions,
03:49and fairs.
03:59A diverse array of artisan goods awaits, sure to impress even a seasoned eye.
04:03Zhanna Gul, a shopkeeper at the fair, shares how nomadic life inspires her craft.
04:09But, of course, the highlight of this holiday is Nowruz kozher, Kazakhstan's signature
04:35seven-ingredient soup, symbolizing prosperity, health, and renewal.
04:40Rich in fermented dairy and grains, it was a vital source of nourishment during lean
04:44spring months, embodying the essence of the New Year.