On 21 March 2018, Nowruz was celebrated near the building No. 11 of Penza State University. It is the festival of the New Year among the Iranians and Turkic peoples. It also marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere according to solar calendar.

The Cultural Marathon Cup “Around the world in 2 semesters” was handed over from students from Arab states to students from Central Asia and the South Caucasus. Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, and Turkey presented their culture and traditions.

“Penza State University teaches 827 foreign citizens from 9 Central Asian and South Caucasian countries where the Nowruz festival is celebrated. International students actively participate in various social, cultural and sport events held at the university,” Aleksandr Gulyakov, Rector of PSU, remarked in his welcoming speech.

“These events are extremely valuable as they are saturated with national features and identity. Such event also promotes the rapprochement of cultures s and intensified cultural exchange between peoples. The organisation of national festivals helps international students to socialise in the Russian student environment,” Sergey Vasin, Vice-Rector for International Affairs, noted.

Adelsha Rakhmatulin, Director of Penza Children and Youth Sports School of Olympic Reserve in boxing, Torogul Bekov, CEO of the agricultural company “Agro Eco”, and Asadullo Kurbanov, Chairman of the Centre for Tajik National Culture “Community”, were among the invited guests. They congratulated PSU students on this holiday and wished them happiness and good luck.

This year, the festival was attended by the crew from the First TV Channel of Tajikistan.

“We highly appreciate the invitation to visit your university and to attend the festival you organised. We are grateful for the fact that our compatriots, I mean those who study at PSU, have the opportunity to preserve traditions and national identity,” Khurshed Saidakhmadov, reporter of the First TV Channel of Tajikistan, stated.

As part of the Nowruz festival, the Kurash tournament (folk belt-wrestling) was held for international students of Penza universities in the PSU gym on 20 March 2018. The tournament brought together more than 40 international students from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. The rector awarded the winners during the event on 21 March.

The Nowruz festival has become a tradition at the university. But, unlike last years, this year programme included only a concert, an exhibition of folk culture and a presentation of national cuisine, but also theatrical festival “Family Identity”, national games, and ethno-style dance party.

“It is a kind of discovery for me. How diverse the cultures are. It was very interesting to study the traditions and even take part in the Uzbek national game “Kuvnok chavandozlar”. I got a lot of positive emotions, met many guys, acquainted with the national identity, and tasted national cuisines. Excellent!” Nikolay Bakin, Medical Institute student, said.

The following event within the Cultural Marathon “Around the world in 2 semesters” will be the Day of Africa and African Peoples, which will be held on 25 May 2018. For more photos please visit the official group in VKontakte.