There are about fifteen official holidays in Kazakhstan. But there are only three of this great amount that are very popular, widely celebrated and loved by the Kazakhstan women. They are: the New Year, 8 March, and Nauryz - Central Asia nations celebration of spring. Women of Kazakhstan wait and thoroughly prepare for each of these holidays, when they can give presents and receive gifts from all of the close people and friends. The NEW YEAR is the biggest and greatest holiday for the whole post-Soviet region. It is the most bright and marvelous holiday in the year. People start getting ready for the celebrations at the beginning of December, while in cities bright lights and evergreen -trees begin to appear, creating a festive holiday atmosphere and a good mood. It is a time for great joy for family and friends and time for discounts in shops, yet hardly anyone thinks about its history. The holiday has its roots in the ancient period. The occasion, originally, was not celebrated in December, and in different countries New Year was held in different times. But one thing all the states had in common was that almost everywhere the New Year began in spring, symbolizing the rebirth of nature, crops and labor. In Russia, from 10th to 15th century the New Year began on March the 1st. But later in 1699, Peter the First has ordered that the New Year would be celebrated on January 1st. From this time, the Russian traditions of decorating New Year s tree and wishing happiness began. By the way Peter the First said that that the celebrations should be dedicated to children. The main reason for starting the new year in March was because that was how things have been done since creation. At the end of 15th century, the Orthodox Church designated September 1st as the new year and the last time when it was celebrated on this date was in 1698, although there still exist some places, where according to the Orthodox Church - September 1st is the beginning of new year, and January 1st is just a civil holiday. Peter s the First goal in changing the date of the new year to the 1st of January was to align the Russian calendar with those of the countries in Europe. Right after the original New Year there comes another celebration for the CIS people, called the Old New Year, which takes place on night from 13th to 14th of January. Even here, in CIS many people don t know the real reason why they still celebrate the Old New Year. They just do it because of the tradition and because there is a common belief that on this day you ve got to say good bye to the year that has passed, and try to remember your lucks and misfortunes, preparing to live the new year that you already welcomed, in the best way you can. However, the real reason why people celebrate it is because very long ago, the Orthodox Church has refused to accept the new style calendar based on Julian calendar.
