Nowruz is the spring new year, celebrated at the March equinox, and in Afghanistan it marks the first day of the solar year. Its roots lie in ancient Iranian tradition, which fixed the festival at the spring equinox as the start of the year. Today it is shared by many peoples across a wide region, and UNESCO lists Nowruz as intangible cultural heritage of humanity in a joint inscription that includes Afghanistan.
Afghan families mark the day by visiting relatives, picnicking and sharing special foods. Haft mewa is a drink of seven kinds of dried fruit soaked overnight in water, and samanak is a sweet paste of germinated wheat that women cook together through the night.
Mazar-e Sharif is the traditional centre of the celebrations. Crowds gather at the shrine known as the Blue Mosque, where a tall banner hung with coloured cloth is raised and the Gul-e Surkh, the ‘red flower’ festival, begins. Elsewhere there are music, sport and games such as buzkashi.