Interview with Yunis Huseynov, former football player of the Azerbaijani national team, coach of Turan Tovuz to Idman.biz
- How is your relationship with Novruz?
- Very good. I have always looked forward to Novruz since childhood. In general, spring is my favorite season. Trees bloom, everywhere is green, and the weather warms up. Moreover, Novruz sweets add another color to this holiday. I really love Novruz because it brings spring.
- And what about the traditions?
- I like many traditions associated with Novruz. Egg fights, jumping over bonfires, and throwing hats are all interesting. The one I liked the most was building a bonfire, and especially throwing potatoes on it. I love potatoes cooked on embers. They have a different taste. I also really like to fight eggs. We used to live near the city market in Ganja. I remember, on the eve of Novruz, starting from the last Wednesday, we used to fight eggs in the market.
- Why in the market?
- There were female sellers standing in the market. We bought raw eggs for 10 kopecks and had them fight. Those women would buy the broken eggs from us at a cheap price and sell them. There were those who bought eggs with a “cage” and had them fight. So, starting from the beginning, they would take each one and have them fight. In the end, whoever lost would pay for the “cage”. Throwing hats was also very interesting. When I was a child, I had a “skateboard". At that time, not many people had “skateboard”. We would only throw hats at the doors of people we knew. After throwing hats to neighbors with the children, we would go to relatives who lived relatively far away with a “skateboard”. My “skateboard” played a big role in throwing hats (laughs).
- Only two of you went to throw the hat?
- The others would also come running to our side (laughs).
- Were you a spoiled child?
- There were six children in the family, I was the last child in the house. That's why I was raised a bit spoiled. Despite this, I was a very quiet child by nature.
- And which of the Novruz sweets do you like the most?
- I like baklava the most, especially Ganja baklava. I am originally from the village of Deste, Ordubad. However, I was born and raised in Ganja. I remember that my late mother used to cook very good Ganja baklava. The neighbors would also queue up to have it cooked from that baklava. My mother had very elegant skills. The Novruz atmosphere in Ganja is completely different.
- When was the last time you celebrated Novruz in Ganja?
- Honestly, I don't remember. Most likely, it was when I was young.
- Where will you celebrate this holiday?
- I will celebrate it with my family in Gakh.
- Most likely, you have spent Novruz away from home many times due to games.
- Yes, I can say that I have spent most of the holidays away from home. Especially when I was playing. We were often at games, training camps.
- You probably have interesting memories from those days.
- I remember that once we were on a trip with the national team to some country. I don't remember exactly where it was now. Teacher Aghasalim (meaning Mirjavadov - ed.) took shekerbura and baklava with him. Since we were on a trip for the holiday, they had prepared in advance, and a table was set on Novruz day. Then we went out and made a small bonfire outside and jumped over it.
Aytac Sahad
Idman.biz
