نوروز(노루즈) ~에서 🇦🇫 아프가니스탄

Nowruz in Afghanistan is a celebration that predates Islam and remains deeply embedded in Afghan culture despite decades of conflict and periodic governmental restrictions. The holiday marks the first day of the Afghan solar calendar and the arrival of spring, a season of profound significance in a country with harsh winters.

The city of Mazar-i-Sharif is the spiritual heart of Afghan Nowruz celebrations. The Janda Bala (raising of the flag) ceremony at the Shrine of Hazrat Ali (Blue Mosque) draws tens of thousands. A large jashn (festival) fills the streets with music, buzkashi (the traditional horseback sport), and attan (the national group dance performed in a large circle).

Haft Mewa (Seven Fruits), a compote of seven dried fruits and nuts soaked in water (walnuts, almonds, pistachios, red and green raisins, dried apricots, and senjed), is Afghanistan's distinctive Nowruz dish, distinct from Iran's Haft-Sin. Samanak (sweet wheat germ pudding) is another essential food, traditionally prepared overnight by women singing folk songs.

Afghans set up Haft-Sin tables, visit family, wear new clothes, and exchange gifts. In rural areas, farmers mark Nowruz as the start of the planting season. Despite the Taliban's historical opposition to Nowruz as a pre-Islamic holiday, the celebration's roots are so deep that it has persisted through every political regime in Afghan history.

The Persian New Year marking the spring equinox, celebrated for over 3,000 years with the Haft-sin table, family visits, and renewal rituals across Iran and Central Asia.