Describe a festival that is celebrated in your country

The festival I'd like to describe is Nowruz, which marks the beginning of spring and the new year in many parts of Central Asia. It's celebrated around the twenty-first of March, when the days start getting longer and the first flowers appear.

Preparations begin several days earlier. Families clean their homes thoroughly, because there's a belief that you should start the year with a fresh, tidy space. On the day itself, women cook special dishes, and one of the most famous is sumalak, a sweet paste made from sprouted wheat. It takes a whole night to prepare, so neighbours often gather around the big pot, singing and chatting while they take turns stirring it. In towns and cities there are also concerts, street fairs and sports competitions, and people wear bright traditional clothes.

Most people visit relatives and friends, exchange small gifts and share a meal. Children love it because they get sweets and sometimes a little money, and the atmosphere in the streets is really cheerful.

I think this festival matters so much because it brings people together. In daily life, many families are busy and live in different cities, but Nowruz is a time when everyone makes the effort to meet. It also connects us with our history, as the customs have been passed down for centuries. For me personally, it's the one holiday when the whole family sits at the same table, and that feeling of belonging is hard to describe. It also reminds us that every ending, like winter, is followed by a new start.