NAWROZ

The Nawruz festival is the oldest of the Afghan tradition and also the first celebration of the new year in the history of the world. It is first and foremost a family holiday.
A secular, but religious feast, she celebrates the day of the accession of Hazrat Ali. It is for this reason that many Afghans go to the grave of the son of the Prophet. Nawruz is the first day of the year, but also the first day of the spring. This festival is observed by several other Asian countries, including Iran, Kurdistan and some Central Asian people. Common elements are the menu (seven S) and planting trees. Women have traditional attire, maquillent and parents of jewellery. Most Afghans, who saved for this party, buy new clothes. The houses are cleaned in depth and, sometimes, repainted. We're working, buying new equipment. It's the takin takin, which means "shake the house." The Afghans sing traditional songs, play music (harmonium and tabla) and dance the atan in traditional clothes. A big round is formed, which other dancers come to join. People are hitting hands. The pace is becoming faster and faster, and those who fail to follow it. Various versions of this dance exist according to regions. Sometimes it is mixed. But, most often, there are two separate rounds. Then picnics and games like the bouzkachi are organized and children get their most beautiful kites. They also play a popular egg game: The game consists of hitting his egg, previously painted brightly, against that of his opponent. The first one whose shell breaks lost. Afghan media retransmit specific programmes on the occasion of Nawruz. We distribute songs, concerts and games. Two or three holidays are awarded for these festivities. The dish specially prepared for Nawruz is the mewa haft, i. e. the seven fruits. It's a mixture of seven kinds of dried fruits, soaked in water. This recipe is prepared several days in advance so that the fruit becomes juicy. The other culinary tradition is the seen haft, which means the "seven S". This is a mixture of seven dishes, beginning with the letter S. Women are responsible for preparing food. At Nawruz, the whole family gathers and exchange gifts. On the eve of the feast, some go to the graves of their relatives. Under the Taliban, the feast of Nawruz was forbidden, because it was judged non-Islamic. The families celebrated her in private then. It was on 21 March 2002 that, for the first time in six years, Nawruz was officially celebrated again.