When is afghanistan new year

Want to know when is Afghan New Year? In spite of over years of bitter warfare, the Afghans remain proud of their cultures, traditions, and ancient civilization. This pride is shown most drastically in the festivals encompassing the Nawruz or the Afghan New Year on the spring equinox.

Nawruz is a Persian festival which is celebrated by a vast majority of people in Afghanistan. Nawruz marks the first day of Hamal Farvardin , the first month of the Afghani solar year. The Afghan New Year is celebrated in Afghanistan with special ceremonies and cultural events in which thousands of people energetically welcome the beginning of a new year with feasting, dancing, singing, and picnics.

Afghan New Year is all about welcoming New Year , celebrating the arrival of spring, enjoying the rebirth and revival of nature, and forgetting all the past misfortunes and starting a fresh new life. The Afghan New Year or Nauruz in Afghanistan is celebrated at the exact moment of spring or vernal equinox.

The equinox usually occurs between March 19th and March 21st. An equinox happens when the sun crosses the celestial equator; day and night are of about equivalent length at all latitude. As per the Afghan calendar, called Hejri Shamsi , Nowruz falls on the first day of the first month of Hamal. The day is a national holiday in Afghanistan and marked with grand celebrations throughout the country. The Afghan New Year is celebrated with great enthusiasm, zeal, and fervor.

The celebrations for Nowruz in Afghanistan, starting in early March or at least two weeks before the actual date with a thorough house cleaning, known as khane tekani. Dirty rugs are washed, the walls are painted new, windows and curtains are cleaned, and old furniture is repaired. Cleaning your house well before celebrating Nowruz, is a common new year tradition in Afghanistan and Iran. This is followed by kharid-e-Nowruz Nauruz shopping , in which all family members purchase new outfits for themselves.

Some women of the household also sew new clothes for their little ones. A few days before Nowruz holiday, many Afghans head to the banks to acquire shiny coins and crisp banknotes to present as eidi gift to the children in the family.

It's one of those rare occasions when the war-weary people forget their daily struggles and break into celebrations. Nowruz is celebrated in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkey and some other regional countries. Each place has its own unique way of celebrating the day, with exquisite customs and traditions.

In the run up to Nowruz, people get busy in cleaning the homes, painting the walls and shopping for new things to decorate their spaces. In remote rural areas of Afghanistan people collect white or red color clay from mountain tops to paint their mud houses. Nowruz celebrations generally last more than a week. On day one, people dress up in brand new clothes similar to the color of nature, forests and mountains. The celebrations include playing Buzkashi the national sport of Afghanistan , wrestling matches, going on family picnics, relishing traditional food, and decorating the table for 'Haft Seen' and 'Haft Mewah' at home.

In northern parts of the country, the festival is celebrated with great passion. In northern Mazar-i-Sharif province, thousands of people from across the country assemble at the shrine of Imam Ali as and participate in flag hoisting ceremony Jhande Bhala and also annual rose festival Mela-e-Gul-e-Surkh.

Many high-ranking officials from Kabul and foreign dignitaries attend the Nawroz ceremony in Imam Ali shrine in Mazar e Sharif.

After flag hoisting Jhande Balla hundreds of while pigeons fly over the shrine, fresh rose petals are thrown from helicopters flying overhead and people rejoice, sing and dance. Flag hoisting ceremony in Mazar i Sharif has a rich history dating back to the reign of Jamshid in ancient Balkh.

A source with direct knowledge of the move said Afghan diplomats had been asked to stay in overseas posts for the time being. The Taliban wanted to maintain a sense of continuity, the source said. The Taliban have promised safe passage out of the country for any foreigners or Afghans left behind by the huge airlift that ended when U.

But with Kabul airport still closed, many were seeking to flee over land. Thousands of Afghans - some with no documentation or pending U. Subscribe for our daily curated newsletter to receive the latest exclusive Reuters coverage delivered to your inbox.

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