31 December - New Year Holiday and Day of Solidarity of Azerbaijanis around the world...

Another year is gone and here we have already greeted new year 2011...Wishes do not change from year to year...they stay the same...no matter what year we greet...no matter who, what and where we are...we ask for the same...good health, peace, love, prosperity, happiness, joy...Happy New Year!!!

On 31 December Azerbaijanis also celebrate Day of Solidarity of Azerbaijanis around the world...solidarity is something very simple and very complex...simply talking it is respecting each other by default and greeting with "salam"...and I am not going into complex things today...will keep it simple :) Happy Day of Solidarity!!!

I am posting today two photos that touch my heart very much...my comments to the photos will explain why I am posting them but not other more obvious pictures for New Year and Day of Solidarity!!! Best wishes from Baku!!! Best wishes from Azerbaijan!!!

Azerbaijan is widely known as land of fire...gas, oil, east, south - this list can grow and each word would add some light into "why"s of this country...Picture of "təndir", tandoor. Another symbol, another traditional wealth. When "modern" life came, many households in Azerbaijan rushed to destroy their tandoors...tandoors occupied space and baking bread was quite complicated in this hot and "dangerously looking" by modern standards kind of ovens...and guess what...in a while it was obvious that numerous kinds of breads in endless supermarkets had neither taste or smell of granny's bread...people found themselves asking in restaurants with hope and nostalgia if they had traditional tandoor bread...thus tandoors are back...and actually one can find one in the very centre of Baku in its Old City...for New Year and Day of Solidarity I wish to all of us to have wisdom to be able to keep the balance between new and old, modern and traditional, to appreciate, cherish and respect the past and take it forward to the future...

Below picture inspires me to wish to all for us for New Year and Day of Solidarity to enjoy what we do and respect what others do - no matter what occupation; smile more often and try to keep that smile for longer...and yes...smelling bread would add you extra pleasure...believe me! :)

Last but not least...bread is symbol of prosperity and well-being in Azerbaijan: not to be left on the table if not eaten, if dropped respectfully taken from the floor, never put together with other waste but always separately...(belief says that no respect to bread, no prosperity in households...)...Have a prosperous New Year! :)

photos courtesy of stringer Tagi Jafarov...grateful for his friendship and work...

this is what I wrote about this day in 2008...