KABUL - Afghans across the country today marked the start of Persian Year 1390 and the first day of spring by visiting relatives, eating traditional foods and enjoying cultural events on what is the beginning of the solar year.

“May this year bring you health, prosperity and happiness. May this year above all bring you peace,” Martin Kobler, UN Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, said in a Nowruz message filmed by Tolo TV.

In Mazar-e-Sharif, the country’s second largest city and the traditional spot for celebrating the new year, more than 350,000 people are expected to pass through today.

A handful of women spent the night outside of the Rawza-e Mubarak or Blue Mosque to be among the first to enter the historical shrine of Hazrat Ali, which attracts thousands of pilgrims throughout the year but is the symbolic heart of the day’s festivities.

This morning, the mosque is the site of the Gul-e Surkh or the Red Rose Festival. The flower blooms naturally in the deserts near Mazar and is a symbol of the region and the brotherhood among residents.

Pieces of colorful clothes on the tall masts are also raised as the sign of good wishes for the new year.
Away from the mosque, sporting events such as traditional Bozkashi games are played and Nawroz football leagues launched.

Music and street parades take place in the evenings, and fireworks have been seen in recent years.
In Bamyan, the third cultural Nowruz Festival kicked off with music from traditional local artists, theatre performances and skiing competitions – the new big tourist attraction in the region.

In Kabul, families picnicked in parks and recreation areas to enjoy an unusually sunny day. Farmers paraded their livestock at Ghazi Stadium at an event organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, while the Ministry of Education welcomed the start of the new school year with an event in Amani High School.

The New Year ceremony also includes traditional food. Families share Haft Miwa, a drink made from seven types of dried fruit left to soak in water overnight.

Another special dish is Samanak, a sweet paste made from germinated wheat which has a chocolate-like sweet taste. The dish is boiled by women who sit collectively around a samanak pot all night.

Given its traditional significance, the UN General Assembly officially recognized Now Rooz in 2010, and the holiday has since been registered on the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Nawruz is also celebrated in Albania, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – among others.

By UNAMA Mazar and UNAMA Bamyan