The Year of the Fish in Turkmenistan.

Turkmen follow their own calendar with a 12-year cycle. Addressing the people, president-son Serdar Berdymukhamedov extolled the successes of the past year, starting with the inauguration of the futurist city of Arkadag dedicated to the president-father.

Ashgabat (AsiaNews) - The president of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdymukhamedov, wanted to imitate his predecessor Father Gurbanguly, who every year predicted the events of the new year based on astrological calculations, and congratulated all Turkmens on the year 2024 considering it, according to the "oriental calendar", the Year of the Fish. In reality, in the rest of the countries it will be the year of the Dragon, but Turkmenistan stands out.

In fact, the various agencies and online sites explain that Turkmens follow their own calendar with a 12-year cycle, which assigns the symbol of the Fish to this year and which does not begin on February 10th as in China, but on March 21st. Referring to the opinions of illustrious and anonymous "scholars", it is reiterated that the Turkmen calendar has existed "since immemorial times", and was used to regulate agricultural work.

Addressing the population, the president-son extolled the successes of the past year, starting from the inauguration of the futurist city of Arkadag dedicated to the president-father, the construction of many other buildings and places of great importance, the harvests of "very rich products of the fields” and other achievements in all sectors.

No mention of the serious economic crisis that forces even flour to be rationed, while Serdar expresses his joy at the birth of the first child just after midnight on December 31st, naturally in Arkadag.

The enthusiastic parents, as reported by the Nejtralnyj Turkmenistan newspaper, chose for him "a name of great respect and inspiration for the future", and called him "Arkadag".

Despite all the opposition of the Muslim imams regarding the New Year celebrations and the decorated trees, the state agency Gosinformagenstvo reported in great detail the public celebration in the central square of Ashgabat, prepared with great sacrifices on the part of the students and school staff around to the large tree, specifying that it is the tallest tree in all the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

The Berdymukhamedovs, however, did not participate in the street party, but awaited the new year in the warmth of the family circle and the sumptuous presidential villa. Serdar's children, grandchildren of the Hero-Arkadag, painted pictures, played musical compositions and sang, and wished the adults good wishes by reciting poems "in Turkmen, Russian and English, making their grandfather happy", as he specifies the information note.

The day before the party Gurbanguly had visited "his" new city to congratulate the local football team, which won the national championship and cup in a big way, defeating all its opponents despite being in its first year of activity.

At the new city stadium, the Father of the Fatherland and president of the Senate gave the players a ball signed by his son, President of the Republic, and then also rewarded the head of the building and urban planning committee, Arkadag Degyareldi Orazov, and the city mayor Shamukhamet Durdylyev, who in turn they proudly showed the new coach of the champion team, given by president Serdar.