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Ancestral flames, sheephead feasts and knucklebones game —this is how nomads ring in Nauryz

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Ancestral flames, sheephead feasts and knucklebones game —this is how nomads ring in Nauryz
Copyright  Euronews
Copyright Euronews
By Botagoz Marabai
Published on Updated
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Digital nomads and travellers welcome spring on the Kazakh steppe in Nauryz - where ancestral flames, sheephead feasts and knucklebones games kick off a 10-day nomad festival.

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Every March, Kazakhs welcome spring with a sacred fire at the top of Mount Otpan in Mangystau. As the sun revives the pastures essential to nomadic life, steppe dwellers reunite in warm embraces. 

The festival sweeps across Kazakhstan, culminating in Astana's grand celebrations on 21 and 22 March. The city's squares pulse with nomadic sports such as the knucklebones game. With bowls of nauryz kozhe flowing, handicrafts and vibrant steppe melodies, visitors are immersed in the spirit of renewal, unity and tradition at this centuries-old festival. 

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