Next: 8 Aug 2027
Melon Day
A national holiday for the Turkmen melon, sold, judged and eaten in parks across the country.
When is Melon Day in 2027?
Melon Day 2027 is on Sunday, 8 August 2027. Other years: 2026, Sunday, 9 August 2026; 2028, Sunday, 13 August 2028.
About Melon Day
Melon Day, held on the second Sunday of August, honours the many varieties of Turkmen melon, a fruit grown in the oases of the Karakum desert for thousands of years and said to be the sweetest in the world. Markets and parks hold displays of melons of all sizes and shapes, from the small, early-ripening to the long-keeping winter varieties, including the famous gok melon. Farmers present their finest melons to prizes and offer slices to visitors. The day is accompanied by concerts, traditional music with the dutar, and a communal meal. Families gather and eat melon together, and gifts of melon are exchanged. The old tradition of storing melons for winter in dry straw, so the fruit lasts until spring, is also shown.
Melon Day dates: 2026, 2027, 2028
| Year | Melon Day date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Sunday, 9 August 2026 |
| 2027 | Sunday, 8 August 2027 |
| 2028 | Sunday, 13 August 2028 |
What is eaten
- melon
- plov
- pilaf
Traditions of Melon Day
Also part of it, and being written: Turkmen melon (The local varieties.), Karakum Desert (The desert whose oases grow the melons.).
More marked on Melon Day
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background: "Melon Day (Turkmenistan)" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Melon Day: AltynAsyr, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Dutar: Yuet Man Lee, CC BY-SA 4.0, source