FestivalXinjiang
Nowruz
The old year out and the new in at the spring equinox — the shared 'birthday of spring' of many peoples in Xinjiang.
The old year out and the new in at the spring equinox — the shared 'birthday of spring' of many peoples in Xinjiang.
On the day of the spring equinox the snow begins to melt on the grassland. Every household simmers a great pot of Nowruz porridge from seven ingredients, and neighbours taste one another's and exchange blessings. The girls put wildflowers in their hair, the young men saddle their horses, and song carries from the yurts all the way up the slope — the ice withdraws, everything wakes, and the new year begins bright and clear.
To greet spring as a festival: in Nowruz lies the grassland peoples' deepest thanks for the waking of the world.
Traditions, echoed by a new generation
Spring Festival on the grassland: simmer the seven-ingredient porridge, race horses, play kokpar — the first thing to do when spring opens is to get out and celebrate.
A great equinox festival shared across peoples: song, sport and food in a single celebration
Porridge of seven ingredients, eaten for a plentiful year to come
Horse racing, kokpar and kiz kuu in turn — grassland sport is addictive
History · Customs · Cultural meaning
Nowruz · Origins
One line of descent · tracing the root
Nowruz is the traditional festival of the Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik and other peoples, kept at the spring equinox (around 21 March). The name means 'new day', and marks the end of winter and the turn of the year.
The custom shares its origin with the ancient Persian new year and travelled the Silk Road into the Western Regions, where it merged with pastoral culture and has been kept in Xinjiang for a thousand years. In 2011 'Noruz Festival' was inscribed on the third national list of representative intangible cultural heritage items as a newly added entry, nominated by the Tacheng area of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region; the official list transliterates the name as Nuoruzijie, a different rendering of the same festival as the title used on this page.
Nowruz · Customs
Seasonal rites · the life of people
On the eve of the festival every household cleans the house and prepares the holiday food. On the equinox itself they simmer the Nowruz porridge, a thick, fragrant dish of seven — sometimes nine — ingredients including wheat, barley, flour, meat and dried cheese, eaten for an abundant harvest and a well-provided life.
On the grassland there are races, kokpar, kiz kuu and wrestling, and concerts and dances that run all night. People visit relatives and friends with the greeting 'Nowruz mubarak', and pay their respects to their elders.
Nowruz · Cultural meaning
What the heart turns to · handed down through generations
Nowruz carries the ecological outlook of oasis and grassland peoples, who keep to the seasons and give thanks to nature, and it bears witness to the long history of exchange along the Silk Road.
Today the equinox is celebrated in town and country on both sides of the Tianshan, and the old festival of spring greeting takes on a warm new life.
Related customs
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Fact-checked October 2026 · every citation traceable
Primary sources are Chinese-language publications, cited for traceability. Bodies without a standard English name are listed by domain.
