Melon Day

Melon vendor, Samarkand, Central Asia (taken before 1915)

Main article: Public holidays in Turkmenistan

Melon Day is an annual national holiday in Turkmenistan devoted to festivities to celebrate the country's muskmelon, in particular a recent crossbreed product named "Turkmenbashi melon" (after Turkmenistan's first president), which is praised for its aroma, taste and large size.

This holiday was established by Turkmenistan’s previous president Saparmurat Niyazov in 1994, who preferred to be known as Turkmenbashi, or leader of the Turkmens. It is marked annually on the second Sunday of August. The day's celebrations feature a large display of the fruit in all its varieties, as well as a series of dance and music events, in the country's capital Ashgabat.

In his address to farmers in 2004, President Niyazov said: "Almighty God has turned Turkmen soil into a fertile source of an abundance of the tastiest fruits. Among them are Turkmen melons, which are the result of farmers' hard work and which have a unique taste reminiscent of the fruit of paradise."^[1] In newspapers Niyazov has been quoted as saying, "The Turkmen melon is the source of our pride. Its taste has no equals in the world, the smell makes your head spin."^[2]

Melon Day is among 24 public holidays of Turkmenistan – typical titles of which are Drop of Water is a Grain of Gold Festival, Festival of the Poetry of Magtymguli, Good Neighborliness Day, Racing Horse Day, and Carpet Day.

See also

• List of holidays by country

References

1. ^ "Turkmens Celebrate Melon Holiday". ITAR-TASS News Agency, Moscow. August 08 2004. http://www.eurasianet.org/turkmenistan.project/index.php?page=wnb/wnb040806&lang=eng#2a. 
2. ^ "The Turkmen theocracy lost its god". Turkish Daily News, Turkey. December 22, 2006. http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=62378. 

External links

• Niyazov's address on the occasion of the Turkmen Melon Day
• Turkmen leader inspires devotion to melon BBC, August 11, 2003.
• Turkmenistan celebrates 'Melon Day' AFP, August 13, 2005.
• Turkmenistan celebrates Melon Day Al Jazeera, August 23, 2005.