3. Nowruz
Nowruz, meaning "new day" in Persian, occurs on the Spring Equinox, March 21 on the Georgian calendar. Also known as the Persian New Year observed by more than 300 million people worldwide, Nowruz is marked by ethnic groups including Uygurs, Kazaks, and Tajiks in Xinjiang. In 2009, the International Day of Nowruz was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Nowruz celebrations include a variety of rituals, ceremonies, traditional games, special dishes, performances, and other cultural events which take place for around two weeks. For tourists, unmissable Nowruz experiences include eating the hearty Nowruz stew (a porridge-like dish of more than 20 ingredients including lamb, lentils, and vegetables), watching wrestling and horse races in places such as Turpan and Hotan, and participating in bonfire jumping, purification ritual in rural areas such as the Yili Valley.
4. The Turpan Grape Festival
Launched in 1990, the Turpan Grape Festival is held annually in mid-to-late August and lasts three to four days. With its dry and sunny climate, Turpan has a long history of growing grapes and is one of the main grape production bases in China. Its planting area totals 42,000 hectares with 550 grape varieties.
To partake in the grape harvest celebrations, you can join vineyard tours by strolling through the famed Grape Valley and picking fresh grapes under shaded trellises. Or you can go on a Flame Mountain vineyard hike to enjoy the unique fusion of desert and grapevines, ending with a sunset picnic. Other fun activities include joining locals in sun-drying grapes on adobe racks, sampling grape-based delicacies to your heart's content, and trying the popular sand therapy.
In addition, you shouldn't miss the open-air concerts featuring UNESCO-listed Twelve Muqam melodies, often held in vineyards, and explore the Karez well system to learn about Turpan's ancient underground irrigation channels.
Mao Weihua contributed to this story.
