This day is dedicated to promoting the values of charity, compassion, and good neighborliness.

Working selflessly for the benefit of society, extending a helping hand to others, and doing good for one’s community is the duty of every citizen.

On this day, staff members of the State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve “Botai” assisted a resident of the village of Saumalkol by helping to clear snow from the yard. In view of the approaching spring season, they removed snow from the yard and surrounding area in order to prevent flooding.

Today, on March 15, 2024, staff members of the State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve “Botai” delivered a lecture for 5th–6th grade students of Saumalkol Secondary School on the topic «Әлем таныған Ботай».

During the lecture, the students became thoroughly acquainted with the history of the emergence of the Botai settlement, the origin of the name “Botai,” as well as the biography of Yeslyambek Zakariyauly, who was the first to discover Botai artifacts, and Viktor Zaibert, who introduced it to the world. They also learned about the valuable artifacts found at the Botai settlement.

During the lecture, the students were asked various questions on the topic, which they answered with great enthusiasm, actively sharing their thoughts and opinions.

Today, March 14, is Көрісу күні (Korisu Day)—a day of meetings and greetings, traditionally dedicated to demonstrating national customs of Kazakh hospitality and even elements of wedding rituals.

In ancient times, when harsh steppe winters posed a serious threat to life and the continuation of generations, and people rarely met each other due to the difficulties of traveling through frost, ice, and snow, the arrival of spring was perceived as a great joy and an opportunity to visit one another. Thus, the custom emerged of meeting with relatives and neighbors to congratulate them on the end of the cold and hardship of winter, welcoming together a new life, the sun, and abundance.

Just as stars and planets come closer during the days of the spring equinox, people also became closer to one another. This meant that after a long separation, the time came to visit each other, rejoice in life, forgive old grievances, wish each other good health, and embrace one another with the words: «Бiр жасыңмен!» (Bir jasyñmen) —“You have completed another year of life.”

The ritual of «көрісу»—which literally means “to see each other” or “to meet”—has become one of the most important traditions of celebrating Nauryz.

On the eve of International Women’s Day, March 8, as part of the “Invite Your Mother to the Museum” campaign, a guided tour of the exhibition hall of the State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve “Botai” was organized for our mothers.

The mothers who attended the excursion expressed their gratitude to the museum staff and received a small gift from the museum.