Melon Day is an annual national holiday in Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...

 devoted to festivities to celebrate the country's muskmelon

Muskmelon

Muskmelon is a species of melon that has been developed into many cultivated varieties. These include smooth skinned varieties such as honeydew, crenshaw and casaba, and different netted cultivars...

, in particular a recent crossbreed product named "Turkmenbashi

Saparmurat Niyazov

Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov; , was a Turkmen politician who served as President of Turkmenistan from 2 November 1990 until his death in 2006...

 melon" (after Turkmenistan's first president), which is praised for its aroma, taste and large size.

This holiday was established by Turkmenistan’s previous president Saparmurat Niyazov

Saparmurat Niyazov

Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov; , was a Turkmen politician who served as President of Turkmenistan from 2 November 1990 until his death in 2006...

 in 1994, who preferred to be known as Turkmenbashi, or leader of the Turkmens. It is marked annually on the second Sunday of August. The day's celebrations feature a large display of the fruit in all its varieties, as well as a series of dance and music events, in the country's capital Ashgabat.

In his address to farmers in 2004, President Niyazov said: "Almighty God has turned Turkmen soil into a fertile source of an abundance of the tastiest fruits. Among them are Turkmen melons, which are the result of farmers' hard work and which have a unique taste reminiscent of the fruit of paradise

Paradise

Paradise is a place in which existence is positive, harmonious and timeless. It is conceptually a counter-image of the miseries of human civilization, and in paradise there is only peace, prosperity, and happiness. Paradise is a place of contentment, but it is not necessarily a land of luxury and...

." In newspapers Niyazov has been quoted as saying, "The Turkmen melon is the source of our pride. Its taste has no equals in the world, the smell makes your head spin."

Melon Day is among 24 public holidays of Turkmenistan – typical titles of which are Drop of Water is a Grain of Gold Festival, Festival of the Poetry of Magtymguli, Good Neighborliness Day, Racing Horse Day, and Carpet Day.

External links

• Niyazov's address on the occasion of the Turkmen Melon Day
• Turkmen leader inspires devotion to melon BBC
  BBC
  The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
  
  , August 11, 2003.
• Turkmenistan celebrates 'Melon Day' AFP
  Agence France-Presse
  Agence France-Presse is a French news agency, the oldest one in the world, and one of the three largest with Associated Press and Reuters. It is also the largest French news agency. Currently, its CEO is Emmanuel Hoog and its news director Philippe Massonnet...
  
  , August 13, 2005.
• Turkmenistan celebrates Melon Day Al Jazeera
  Al Jazeera
  Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
  
  , August 23, 2005.