Saturday was the occasion for a student-led celebration of Navruz at my university. Since MGU is a branch of Moscow State, the Russian ambassador to Tajikistan and his wife were guests. First, there were various displays. Students from three departments had set up "haft seen" tables:
(I've been told that if you eat something from the celebration table and make a wish, it will come true sometime before the next new year.)
Gender roles were clear in what men were doing (competing in weight-lifting)...
versus the women (embroidery, rocking the cradle, and playing jacks):
At one point there was drumming, trumpeting, and dancing outside:
...and the appearance of someone who might have been a Navruz princess?
After that I was whisked to the auditorium for student performances: recitations, songs, and dances. I'm not sure why one couple did the tango (to audience gasps) and another a Ukrainian dance, but perhaps it was to emphasize the "international" nature of the holiday. I was more interested in the Tajik performances:
The kids (not sure which school they came from) got the cuteness award:
Speaking of awards, the Russian ambassador handed out some awards to top-performing students in various departments.
One of the final numbers was this trio performing a Russian song, "In the East."
The original was probably a bit orientalist, and it seemed odd sung by Tajiks, but the audience simply seemed to enjoy the familiar tune the good performance.
At the end, a few of my colleagues and I took a photo in front of the beautiful embroidered wall hanging or "suzani."
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| Tahmina, Kitty, Shanoza |
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