Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- A review competition of the international folklore festival "Baysun Spring" was held in Baysun district of Surkhandarya region of Uzbekistan. 

The festival is organized by the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Heritage, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the administration of Surkhandarya region and a number of other organizations to maintain our national values and traditions.

The holiday, combined with the fair festivities, began long before the official opening of the festival. Cheerful songs, the sounds of whistles, the exclamations of fair barkers, the chimes of folk instruments and the voices of the festival participants were heard everywhere. Some participants of the holiday were dressed in costumes of folk and historical characters. At the festival, one could feel the color, breadth and boldness of the traditional fair, which has long been held on the border of spring and summer. The guests noted not only the high level of the festival, but also the beauty and peculiarity of the region.

The name of this cultural event comes from a small town in southern Uzbekistan. Baysun is a seemingly ordinary city located at the foot of the picturesque Baysuntau mountains, but its main feature is that the locals have preserved ancient customs and traditions that date back more than one thousand years and originate from pre-Islamic pagan culture.

Boysun Bahori festival is a celebration of unique cultures! In our time of globalization, unique rituals and traditions are sometimes lost, and only in places remote from large cities can one still see a special culture. The purpose of this festival is to collect and show the legacy of the past, which is carefully preserved not only in Baysun, but also in other regions of Uzbekistan, and in other countries.

It is noted that the Ethnofestival is held in order to develop educational tourism, get acquainted with the history, traditions and culture of the peoples living in the Surkhandarya region, form a respectful attitude towards the symbols of the culture of different peoples and harmonize interethnic relations, establish creative contacts with representatives of different nationalities.

Participants and guests of the event were given the opportunity not only to enjoy the performances of folklore groups, admire thematic drawings and photographs, admire the defile of ethno-style outfits, but also get acquainted with new tourist routes and sights of Surkhandarya, as well as take part in the competition program and creative masters -classes.

In 2001, UNESCO recognized the culture of Baysun as a "Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage". And in 2002, the first folklore festival "Boysun Bahori" was held. Subsequently, it was held annually, then gave way to other festivals, but was revived in 2017.

The guests of the event were presented with an exhibition of national cuisine and culture of peoples, an exhibition of arts and crafts. In addition, within the framework of the Ethnofestival, a fruit and vegetable fair, a bakery fair, sports competitions (tug of war, kurash) were held. And also they were able to take part in the tasting of national dishes. All this was accompanied by a bright concert program.

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The Baysun area is very beautiful in spring when the surrounding mountains are covered with greenery and flowering meadows - that is why this event is held at this time and why it is called "Boysun bakhori" (Boysun spring). A huge camp is set up on the foothills with yurts, benches and stages where folklore ensembles perform. Arenas for various national games are arranged here: wrestling "kurash", equestrian game "kupkari", fights of rams and roosters, etc. And also, a special place is occupied by the scene of "darboz" (rope walkers), who show circus numbers, where tightrope walking is perfectly combined with a cheerful theatrical performance.

Starting from 2022, every two years in April, the Baysun Spring International Festival will be held under the auspices of UNESCO. A corresponding letter has been received on behalf of the head of UNESCO.