Novruz Bayram

On the first day of Spring (March 20th), Carolyn & Jesse invited us to a traditional Azerbaijan celebration (they spent a year in Azerbaijan for the Peacecorps). They dressed the parts of hostess & host, but Carolyn couldn't keep a straight face for the picture. Apparently, Azeri people don't smile for pictures. :)

The Group: Kenton, Carolyn, Helen, Brian, Jacque, Stu, Jesse (partially covered by me), Katrina & Finn. Carolyn & Jesse made some of their favorite Azeri foods, like kabobs & plov. Yumm! Finn tried most of it, but he seemed a little relieved when I offered him a peanut butter & jelly sandwich that I'd brought just in case. What a good sport!

We played a game with hard boiled eggs where you hit yours against the other person's. The person whose egg remains intact continues on to attack the next person.

Amazingly, I won the game & broke almost everyone else's eggs. :)

Here I am with the winning egg!

Next, we jumped over a mini bonfire. We chanted something in Azerbaijani that has to do with casting all your bad luck into the fire...or something. It was tricky to say but we all took a turn.

Even Finn took a turn...the blur is Kenton helping Finn jump over the fire.

Some of the group finished the night by smoking strawberry lemonade flavored tobacco in a hookah that Carolyn & Jesse brought back from their time in Europe. It was a fun evening & Finn did really well with all the grown-ups. :)

**Carolyn & Jesse will have to correct me if I got anything wrong or mispelled anything. :)