NU community celebrated Nauryz
Nazarbayev University community celebrated one of the most anticipated spring holidays – Nauryz meyrami. For the first time in the history of the university, all the festive events were conducted online. Over the week, the NU community participated in various celebratory events dedicated to Turkic and Persian New Year.
The festive week started with Nature Day (March, 15). On this day, NU professors, students, and scholars from around the world spoke about their research in the field of sustainable development. In addition, UNDP experts in climate change and biodiversity conducted a series of webinars, where they spoke about the most pressing environmental issues in Kazakhstan. At the end of the event, students of the NU Green Society hosted an educational quiz and awarded gifts to the winners.
On the 16th of March, the NU Community had a chance to virtually attend a concert organized by NU students and faculty and their children. The event’s headliner was Gulnur Omirbayeva, a famous Kazakh singer, composer, and lecturer of the Kazakh National Academy of Arts.
On the 18th of March, the Rukhani Zhangyru Cultural Center held an event dedicated to the 175th anniversary of the Kazakh poet Zhambyl Zhabayev. The online meeting was attended by Omirkhan Abdimanuly – KazNU professor and Director of the Center for the Study of Kazakh Folklore and Literature, along with Saltanat Zhambylova, Director of the Zhambyl Zhabayev Literary Memorial Museum, and KazNU professor Mubarak Umbetayev. The attendees talked about the creative heritage of Zhambyl and his place in global literature, as discussed the importance of his poems for Kazakh culture.
The festive events ended on March 19th with the NU Chess Tournament. The tournament was organized by Darmen Sadvakasov Chess Academy, Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Business Alumni Association, NU Alumni Association, and NU Chess Club. The winners of the tournament were awarded commemorative prizes.
Nauryz is considered as one of the most important holidays, symbolizing the beginning of a new year. For Kazakhs, this is the holiday of spring renewal, family values and friendship. On this day, great importance is placed on the Nauryz menu, with special attention paid to traditional dishes, such as Nauryz-kozhe. This year, students of the “NU Cooking Club” shared their video recipe for a traditional Kazakh treat “Baursak” with the NU community.
NU professor Gultas Kurmanbay, director of the “Rukhani Zhangyru” Cultural Center, congratulated faculty, staff and students of Nazarbayev University on the holiday. In her congratulatory message she said: “Nauryz is a phenomenon of the Universe that brings joy to life. At the beginning of the year, let me wish you to be happy and in peace! Let the third decade of independent Kazakhstan become a decade of science and education, culture and morality. Let the 30th anniversary of Independence be of great significance for Kazakhstan! May Nazarbayev University continue its dedicated service to the country and become one of the leading universities in the world!”