Nowruz 1401 in Afghanistan
This piece has been written by Rahil (pseudonym), one of our writers in Afghanistan. The piece has been translated to English by the editors. Find the original version in Farsi here.
Nowruz this year (1401, Persian calendar) differed greatly in Afghanistan from previous years
The first day of the Persian year is called ‘Nowruz’. It is a centuries-old tradition in Afghanistan to celebrate Nowruz with various festivities such as the Farmers’ Festival, and the infamous Festival at the Shrine of Hazrat Ali at the Blue Mosque in Mazar-e Sharif.
The word ‘Nowruz’, or new year – this year marking the first day of a new century in the Persian calendar – is an expression of the beauty of spring as it coincides with the start of a new spring. Why weren’t and aren’t the people of Afghanistan happy this year, like in the past, about the coming of the new year? The answer to this question lies below.
The tradition in these lands has always been to start the new year with a celebration of the new season of flowers, freshness, new beginnings, the waking of nature and new life, and the growth of grass and colorful flowers. Many people traditionally go to various locations in Afghanistan (including Parwan, Mazar-e Sharif, Panjshir, Badakhshan, and Takhar) to witness and enjoy the beautiful and newly awakened green-clad nature in remote areas.
Many also visit the Farmers’ Festival, which is marked as a national celebration in the calendar of Afghanistan. Some days prior to Nowruz, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock would prepare the Garden of Almonds in Kabul, so that farmers, ranchers, and cattle-owners could bring their produce to the festival during Nowruz to introduce and familiarize the people with Afghanistan’s domestic produce. This was all done not only with the aim to promote the economic sustainability of the country, but also to have fun and relax in the Garden of Almonds of Kabul.
Talking about Nowruz in Afghanistan is meaningless if we fail to mention the infamous yearly festivities and joy taking place in Mazar-e Sharif, at the Shrine of Hazrat Ali. People from across Afghanistan who have the financial ability and opportunity, travel to the lands of Mawla Ali (Mazar-e Sharif, known historically as Balkh). They dance and dance to welcome the new spring season.
And every year in Kabul, people travel to the historic Sakhi Shah-e Mardan Shrine located in the west of Kabul during the first day of the new year and raise the flag of Sakhi. They celebrate the new year there. Others watch their TVs closely to follow the live proceedings of the Nowruz celebrations.
It is custom for the people to take part in fortune-telling during the first day of the new year. Young children, quickly overjoyed by the new pair of clothes they receive on Nowruz, dress themselves up and flood the streets and alleys of Kabul playing joyously with each other. The beautiful blue sky of spring during Nowruz is filled with colorful kites of the youth. The youth, especially girls are excited and busy chattering about the possibility to pursue their dreams and hopes again with the upcoming start of the new academic year* during which they can continue their education, and thereby reach their ambitious goals in life.
But the year 1401…
It is a year that started with despair and hopelessness, due to the return of the Taliban to power. Because of the Taliban, Nowruz was not even allowed to be declared an official holiday. There were no children playing in the streets. The suffocating environment that the Taliban brought infected the streets of Afghanistan, and smothered even the joy of the children.
*The academic year in Afghanistan starts in the Spring and ends in the winter.
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