AKIPRESS.COM - Kyrgyzstanis staying in France attended the first ever celebration of Nowruz in Paris organized by the Embassy of Kyrgyzstan in Belgium and the Association of Kyrgyzstanis living in France Kyrgyz Club – France, the Embassy said.

The celebration program included sport competitions, concert of Kyrgyz pop singers.

When opening the football tournament, Consul Ruslan Bekbolotov congratulated Kyrgyzstanis with holiday and urged Kyrgyz diaspora to maintain strong friendly ties.

More than 150 Kyrgyzstanis attended the celebration.

Nowruz is the day of the vernal equinox, and marks the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere. Families gather together to observe the rituals.

The UN's General Assembly recognized the International Day of Nowruz in 2010, describing it as a spring festival of Iranian origin, which has been celebrated for over 3,000 years. During the meeting of The Inter-governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage of the United Nations, held between 28 September – 2 October 2009, Nowruz was officially registered on the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.