The seats under the lychee tree of Mui Tsz Lam village is the villagers’ favourite place to gather and share food.

The "Sadeh festival" is the largest fire celebration and one of the oldest known traditions in ancient Persia, which is celebrated forty days after the Yalda Night as thanksgiving for God's blessings by Zoroastrians.\nThis celebration is a sign of the importance of light, fire and energy in life, which begins with setting the fire on the top of mountains and roofs of houses near the sunset of the tenth of Bahman. The Sadeh festival is one of the great Iranian celebrations with no religious aspect and all the stories related to it are non-religious. This celebration would has been held by the kings, emirs and ordinary people from the pre-Islamic period, the Islamic era, until the late Khwarazmian era and the Mongol conquest and has continued to this day. There have been various narratives and opinions about the naming of the Sadeh and setting the fire.\nSadeh celebration is held in many cities and villages of Iran and by Zoroastrians residing in other countries with the gathering and the presence of Zoroastrian, Muslim, and Persian Jews and etc., in one place, with the establishment of a large fire outside the city and the implementation of the different programs. Today, according to the custom of this magnificent celebration in many regions of Iran despite the passing of thousands of years since the first Sadeh, no significant changes have been made in this celebration.\n\n

The "Sadeh festival" is the largest fire celebration and one of the oldest known traditions in ancient Persia, which is celebrated forty days after the Yalda Night as thanksgiving for God's blessings by Zoroastrians.\nThis celebration is a sign of the importance of light, fire and energy in life, which begins with setting the fire on the top of mountains and roofs of houses near the sunset of the tenth of Bahman. The Sadeh festival is one of the great Iranian celebrations with no religious aspect and all the stories related to it are non-religious. This celebration would has been held by the kings, emirs and ordinary people from the pre-Islamic period, the Islamic era, until the late Khwarazmian era and the Mongol conquest and has continued to this day. There have been various narratives and opinions about the naming of the Sadeh and setting the fire.\nSadeh celebration is held in many cities and villages of Iran and by Zoroastrians residing in other countries with the gathering and the presence of Zoroastrian, Muslim, and Persian Jews and etc., in one place, with the establishment of a large fire outside the city and the implementation of the different programs. Today, according to the custom of this magnificent celebration in many regions of Iran despite the passing of thousands of years since the first Sadeh, no significant changes have been made in this celebration.

The "Sadeh festival" is the largest fire celebration and one of the oldest known traditions in ancient Persia, which is celebrated forty days after the Yalda Night as thanksgiving for God's blessings by Zoroastrians.\nThis celebration is a sign of the importance of light, fire and energy in life, which begins with setting the fire on the top of mountains and roofs of houses near the sunset of the tenth of Bahman. The Sadeh festival is one of the great Iranian celebrations with no religious aspect and all the stories related to it are non-religious. This celebration would has been held by the kings, emirs and ordinary people from the pre-Islamic period, the Islamic era, until the late Khwarazmian era and the Mongol conquest and has continued to this day. There have been various narratives and opinions about the naming of the Sadeh and setting the fire.\nSadeh celebration is held in many cities and villages of Iran and by Zoroastrians residing in other countries with the gathering and the presence of Zoroastrian, Muslim, and Persian Jews and etc., in one place, with the establishment of a large fire outside the city and the implementation of the different programs. Today, according to the custom of this magnificent celebration in many regions of Iran despite the passing of thousands of years since the first Sadeh, no significant changes have been made in this celebration.\n\n

Mesir Macunu (paste) Festival has been annually celebrated for 472 years during March 21st-24th of each year. The roots of Festival go back to a historical anecdote about the mesir macunu, Hafsa Sultan, mother of the Ottoman Ruler Suleiman the Magnificent contracts an incurable disease. In an effort to find a cure for this disease, Merkez Efendi, the Chief Physician of the Madrasah of Sultan Mosque concocts a special experimental recipe of a paste with 41 different herbs and spices. This special paste to be thenceforth known as the mesir macunu (paste) cures Hafsa Sultan rapidly. Hafsa Sultan then asks to disseminate this paste to the wider public, hoping that it would ensure the well being of each and everyone. Wrapped in small pieces of paper, the paste is then “scattered” to the community, from Sultan Mosque. Since then, at each and every anniversary of this event, people gathering around Sultan Mosque commemorate the invention of this healing paste, through a series of events.\nThe festival begins with the “mixing” and cooking of the mesir macunu, prepared in respective proportions and mixtures in line with the traditional know-how. Blessed with wishes for cure, the paste is then packed up by women according to the traditional knowledge. It is then scattered among the public from the top of the minaret and the domes of the Sultan Mosque. Thousands of people coming from different regions of Turkey compete with each other, in a challenge to grab these pastes in the air, before they finally hit the ground.

In autumn, when the surface of the water freezes for the first time, the opening games start. In most cases, the games start when the river surface freezes completely and turns into ice. And the last anklebone shooting on the ice game of the year is played when in the spring when the ice starts to melt. This last game is considered of great importance, therefore food is prepared and locals gather to celebrate the festive shooting. The shooters sit in a circle on the ice and draw lots to decide with whom they will become a team. This practice called “shugshikh” and it’s done by gathering and mixing the bullets of each player in a “deel” (Mongolian traditional cloth) and picking them one by one to decide who will be teammates. Two people team up, and each player shoots 36 bullets.

In autumn, when the surface of the water freezes for the first time, the opening games start. In most cases, the games start when the river surface freezes completely and turns into ice. And the last anklebone shooting on the ice game of the year is played when in the spring when the ice starts to melt. This last game is considered of great importance, therefore food is prepared and locals gather to celebrate the festive shooting. The shooters sit in a circle on the ice and draw lots to decide with whom they will become a team. This practice called “shugshikh” and it’s done by gathering and mixing the bullets of each player in a “deel” (Mongolian traditional cloth) and picking them one by one to decide who will be teammates. Two people team up, and each player shoots 36 bullets.

New Year is often a time when people wish for prosperity and new beginnings. March 21 marks the start of the year in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. It is referred to as Nauryz, Navruz, Nawrouz, Nevruz, Nooruz, Novruz, Nowrouz or Nowruz meaning ‘new day’ when a variety of rituals, ceremonies and other cultural events take place for a period of about two weeks. An important tradition practised during this time is the gathering around ‘the Table’, decorated with objects that symbolize purity, brightness, livelihood and wealth, to enjoy a special meal with loved ones. New clothes are worn and visits made to relatives, particularly the elderly and neighbours. Gifts are exchanged, especially for children, featuring objects made by artisans. There are also street performances of music and dance, public rituals involving water and fire, traditional sports and the making of handicrafts. These practices support cultural diversity and tolerance and contribute to building community solidarity and peace. They are transmitted from older to younger generations through observation and participation.

New Year is often a time when people wish for prosperity and new beginnings. March 21 marks the start of the year in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. It is referred to as Nauryz, Navruz, Nawrouz, Nevruz, Nooruz, Novruz, Nowrouz or Nowruz meaning ‘new day’ when a variety of rituals, ceremonies and other cultural events take place for a period of about two weeks. An important tradition practised during this time is the gathering around ‘the Table’, decorated with objects that symbolize purity, brightness, livelihood and wealth, to enjoy a special meal with loved ones. New clothes are worn and visits made to relatives, particularly the elderly and neighbours. Gifts are exchanged, especially for children, featuring objects made by artisans. There are also street performances of music and dance, public rituals involving water and fire, traditional sports and the making of handicrafts. These practices support cultural diversity and tolerance and contribute to building community solidarity and peace. They are transmitted from older to younger generations through observation and participation.

New Year is often a time when people wish for prosperity and new beginnings. March 21 marks the start of the year in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. It is referred to as Nauryz, Navruz, Nawrouz, Nevruz, Nooruz, Novruz, Nowrouz or Nowruz meaning ‘new day’ when a variety of rituals, ceremonies and other cultural events take place for a period of about two weeks. An important tradition practised during this time is the gathering around ‘the Table’, decorated with objects that symbolize purity, brightness, livelihood and wealth, to enjoy a special meal with loved ones. New clothes are worn and visits made to relatives, particularly the elderly and neighbours. Gifts are exchanged, especially for children, featuring objects made by artisans. There are also street performances of music and dance, public rituals involving water and fire, traditional sports and the making of handicrafts. These practices support cultural diversity and tolerance and contribute to building community solidarity and peace. They are transmitted from older to younger generations through observation and participation.

New Year is often a time when people wish for prosperity and new beginnings. March 21 marks the start of the year in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. It is referred to as Nauryz, Navruz, Nawrouz, Nevruz, Nooruz, Novruz, Nowrouz or Nowruz meaning ‘new day’ when a variety of rituals, ceremonies and other cultural events take place for a period of about two weeks. An important tradition practised during this time is the gathering around ‘the Table’, decorated with objects that symbolize purity, brightness, livelihood and wealth, to enjoy a special meal with loved ones. New clothes are worn and visits made to relatives, particularly the elderly and neighbours. Gifts are exchanged, especially for children, featuring objects made by artisans. There are also street performances of music and dance, public rituals involving water and fire, traditional sports and the making of handicrafts. These practices support cultural diversity and tolerance and contribute to building community solidarity and peace. They are transmitted from older to younger generations through observation and participation.

New Year is often a time when people wish for prosperity and new beginnings. March 21 marks the start of the year in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. It is referred to as Nauryz, Navruz, Nawrouz, Nevruz, Nooruz, Novruz, Nowrouz or Nowruz meaning ‘new day’ when a variety of rituals, ceremonies and other cultural events take place for a period of about two weeks. An important tradition practised during this time is the gathering around ‘the Table’, decorated with objects that symbolize purity, brightness, livelihood and wealth, to enjoy a special meal with loved ones. New clothes are worn and visits made to relatives, particularly the elderly and neighbours. Gifts are exchanged, especially for children, featuring objects made by artisans. There are also street performances of music and dance, public rituals involving water and fire, traditional sports and the making of handicrafts. These practices support cultural diversity and tolerance and contribute to building community solidarity and peace. They are transmitted from older to younger generations through observation and participation.