The IU Navruz Student Association invites you to the Annual Celebration of Navruz, the New Year Holiday for many of the peoples of Afghanistan, Iran, Central Asia (Kazakhstan), the Caucasus and Turkey. This year's Navruz Festival will be on Saturday, March 24, 2007 from 2PM - 7PM on IU's main Bloomington, Indiana Campus in the Wilkie Auditorium, 150 North Rose Avenue (off of E. 3rd Street). Following the program, "a taste of Central Asia" will be served in Forest dining hall. The IU Navruz Festival has three components: contemporary and traditional cultural performances, a sampling of the food from the various countries and regions and cultural displays. Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.

Also this year, on March 5th, in cooperation with the Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center, the IU Navruz Student Association is sponsoring a "Night of Plov". Since plov, or pilaf, is such an important part of many of the cultures that celebrate Navruz it is not surprising that there is some good natured rivalry over whose plov tastes best. This year we will let the people of Bloomington, IN decide. On March 5th there will be a taste test of plov that will be prepared by at least 5 different groups. You are also cordially invited to this event.

The IU Navruz celebration has become a regular event with a number of Central Indiana Kazakh adoptive families and we always have a great time. It is very kid friendly, many of the Kazakh and Central Asian faculty and grad students have their children there. It is quite appropriate for your kids to wear their traditional Kaz outfits, if you have them. The afternoon is a program of music and dance from Central Eurasia, usually including several Kazakh performers. This is followed by a "taste of Central Asia" dinner and cultural displays from each country, including Kazakhstan. It's a great time to meet and mingle with the many Kazakhstanis in attendance. The Kazakhstanis are always excited to meet their "young compatriots" and their families, and we have developed a friendship with many of the Kazakhstani students and faculty.

This is a very fun, entertaining and culturally enriching family afternoon and is well worth the trip.

A map of IU's Bloomington campus is available at http://www.iub.edu/~iubmap/