New Delhi, March 23 The embassies of eight countries — Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — jointly held an event here to celebrate the festival of Nowruz.
Recognized by the UN General Assembly in 2010 as an international holiday and officially registered on the Unesco List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Nowruz marks the first day of spring and the beginning of new life and is celebrated by diverse ethnic communities and religious backgrounds annually on March 21.
The embassies jointly organised a half-day event at a hotel here on Saturday evening, said a press release from the Kazakh embassy on Sunday.
The event was attended by Delhi Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung as the chief guest from the Indian side. Cultural programmes, including traditional dances, music, songs, were presented.
In India, Nowruz was celebrated for the first time at such a high level and such a large scale among the embassies, the release said.