Novruz Holiday was included by OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier to the list of OSCE's official holidays in Vienna.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Secretary General passed this decision on the initiative of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the OSCE.{nl}

Novruz Bayram is a traditional holiday, which celebrates the New Year, and the coming of spring in Iran, South Caucasus, Central Asia and other regions of the world.
Novruz is celebrated and observed by Azerbaijan people and the related cultural continent and has spread in many other parts of the world. Marking the first day of spring and the beginning of the year, Novruz is celebrated on the day of the astronomical vernal equinox, which usually occurs on March 21.
Usually preparation for Novruz begins a month prior to the festival. Each of forthcoming 4 weeks is devoted to one of the four elements and called accordingly in Azerbaijan. Each Tuesday people celebrate the day of one of the four elements - water, fire, earth and wind.
The UN General Assembly in 2010 recognized the International Day of Novruz, describing it a spring festival of Persian origin which has been celebrated for over 3,000 years. During the meeting of The Inter-governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage of the United Nations, held between 28 September - 2 October 2009 in Abu Dhabi, Novruz was officially registered on the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

AzerTAc