Nowruz in Afghanistan

Nowruz is widely celebrated across Afghanistan as a festival of spring, agriculture, and renewal. While it shares many historical roots with Iranian Nowruz, Afghan traditions have distinct regional flavors, particularly in the foods prepared and the public festivals held.

In Afghanistan, Nowruz is also commonly referred to as Farmer's Day (Dehqan Day), celebrating the beginning of the spring planting season.

Haft Mewa (The Seven Fruits)

While Iranians traditionally prepare the Haft-Sin (Seven S's) table, the centerpiece of Nowruz in Afghanistan is Haft Mewa (هفت میوه), which translates to "Seven Fruits."

Haft Mewa is a sweet, refreshing compote made from seven different dried fruits and nuts mixed in water (or sometimes rosewater). The mixture is soaked for several days before Nowruz, creating a sweet syrup. The traditional seven ingredients are usually:

Red raisins
Black raisins
Yellow figs
Senjed (dried oleaster)
Pistachios
Dried apricots
Almonds or walnuts

The Guli Surkh Festival (Red Flower Festival)

The largest Nowruz celebration in Afghanistan takes place in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif. It is known as the Guli Surkh Festival (جشن گل سرخ), named after the red tulip flowers that bloom across the surrounding plains in early spring.

Hundreds of thousands of people travel to Mazar-i-Sharif for the festival, which centers around the Blue Mosque (the Shrine of Hazrat Ali).

Jahenda Bala (Raising the Banner)

The pinnacle of the Guli Surkh Festival is the Jahenda Bala ceremony. On the morning of Nowruz, a massive, sacred banner (Jahenda) is raised in the courtyard of the Blue Mosque by religious and civic leaders.

The raising of the banner is accompanied by prayers and cheers from the massive crowd. Touching the banner is considered a blessing, and it remains raised for forty days. It is believed that if the banner is raised smoothly and easily, it is a sign of a prosperous and peaceful year ahead.

Buzkashi Tournaments

Nowruz is also the premier season for Buzkashi, the national sport of Afghanistan. Buzkashi is an intense, ancient equestrian game where horsemen (chapandazan) compete to grab a goat or calf carcass from the ground and drop it into a scoring circle. Special, high-stakes Buzkashi tournaments are held in major cities and northern provinces to mark the new year.