Boulder, CO - On April 11th, Boulder came alive with the vibrant colors, sounds, and flavors of Central Asia for the 2024 Navruz celebration. This beloved annual event, celebrating the Tajik & Persian New Year, drew approximately 300 attendees to the Civic Plaza outside of the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse. Preparations for this festive day began around 11am and the event opened to the public from 12pm to 5pm.
Boulder Dushanbe Sister Cities board member Maya Vakhobova prepared and tended to the spread of Tajik and Central Asian foods for all attendees to enjoy. Guests were immediately drawn to the colorful assortment, including hot Tajik dishes, fruits, desserts, and much more. The line to get a plate stretched across the plaza for much of the event.
On display around the plaza and the Teahouse were Tajik breads, clothing, crafts, art, and teas. The traditional Tajik/Uzbek bread (pictured below) is called “non” and is crafted into various designs with sesame seeds sprinkled on top. Historically, the bread is made specially to celebrate big events and the Tajiks' artistic talent shows in the intricate designs. The caps on the table (pictured below) are called “tubeteika” (Tajik: тоқӣ, Russian: тюбетейка) and are traditionally worn by Muslim men and women across Central Asia.
BDSC’s Joshua McTeer was the first to take the stage and recite a few of his original poems in Tajik. Members of the BDSC board including Rett Ertl, Sophia Stoller, Gavhar Osimi, and Maya Vakhobova each then spoke for a few minutes about their connection to the organization and Tajikistan.
Chorshanbe Alovatov, winner of Central Asia’s Got Talent 2019, flew in from New York to serenade the Navruz crowd with some modern and traditional songs. Also performing at the celebration was a young girl in Tajik dress who led attendees in a traditional Tajik dance. The crowd was bursting with energy, dancing and singing along all afternoon.
In the evening from 5 to 8pm, the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse hosted a 5-course dinner, inspired by traditional Tajik and Central Asian Foods. Stewards of the Teahouse, Sara and Lenny Martinelli, welcomed guests to the dinner with a heartfelt speech, detailing their experience in the restaurant industry and how special it was that they get to operate the Teahouse. Chorshanbe Alovatov and the traditional Tajik dancer returned to the Teahouse and entertained guests at the dinner. The Teahouse also hosted a silent auction throughout the evening, with traditional, handmade Tajik crafts and clothing, special arrays of teas from the Teahouse, and much more on display.
From 5 to 6pm guests engaged in a cocktail hour, where snacking plates and appetizers were passed around. At 6pm the dinner commenced– the first course was sambusa, a savory pastry filled with onion, beef, and butternut squash. This was followed by shakarob, a Tajik salad with tomato, onion, dill and cilantro. The third course was laghman, a traditional brothy noodle soup with tomatoes, peppers, onions, and beef. The main dish of the evening was osh (Russian plov), a traditional Tajik rice dish with carrots, onion, chickpeas, dried fruits, and grilled beef. The culinary delights concluded with a dessert sample platter, including a rice pudding, pomegranate shortbread, and baklava.
Enjoy our gallery of images from the event below.
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