Tajikistan has officially declared the tulip and the siyohgush (snowdrop) its national flowers, recognizing them as spiritual symbols of the Tajik people, Qazinform News Agency correspondent in Dushanbe reports.

The President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, signed the decree on Wednesday. The decision aims to promote the country’s historical and cultural heritage on the international stage and cement the two flowers as national symbols.

"These flowers have become an inseparable part of Tajik civilization and are closely associated with the ancient Aryan festival of Navruz and the beautiful season of spring. While the Siyohgush is regarded as the first harbinger of spring, symbolizing historical and mythological memory and the triumph of purity and justice, the Tulip symbolizes the honor and dignity of our proud people, embodies beauty and grace, and represents the blossoming of the country’s natural environment," the Tajik president's press service says.

Traditional belief holds that finding the year's first snowdrop brings good luck. Symbolizing rebirth, youth, and beauty, the flower draws children into the mountains each spring to gather blooms for their mothers and sisters.

The festival of tulips, Sairi Guli Lola, dates back to pre-Islamic times, when multi-day festivities marked the peak blooming season. On the first day of public festivities, young men and women formed dance circles, sang, danced, tied tulips to tree branches, and made wishes. The next day, people traditionally visited cemeteries and sacred shrines.

Revived in 2019 at the president’s initiative, the festival has become annual. Now it is a large-scale event featuring competitions, cash prizes, and categories for best floral arrangement. The final celebrations traditionally take place on the fourth Saturday of April.

Earlier, it was reported that an international exhibition titled “Tajikistan — A Land of Rare Artifacts” opened today at the Museum of Civilizations (Museo delle Civiltà) in Rome.

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