NOWRUZ

New Year: 1391

Sale Naw Mobarak (Happy New Year). Nowruz is the first day of spring and it is celebrated by more than 300 million people worldwide on March 21, the day of the spring equinox, which marks the sun’s crossing of the Equator and the start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.    As I know Iran, Tajikistan and Afghanistan celebrate Nowruz because they have similar cultures and traditions. Iranians celebrate Nowruz for thirteen days, which people go away from their hometown to different cities for visits and usually people go camping on the mountains, (Sizdah badar), and Afghanistan and Tajikistan celebrates for three days. Nowruz always comes on March but not always on the 21th because it differs every year depending upon the Sun crossing the Equator.

In Afghanistan, people prepares a week or two before the first day of Nowruz.On the first day of Nowruz families get together for breakfast and early in the morning whoever you see first, you do greetings saying “Nowruz Mobarak” with hugs and kisses on the chick and people even greet the people whom they have fought or never talked before because Nowruz is supposed to bring a change to people’s lives . People put Hinah on their hands and feet for decoration and children goes to their elders to get money for Eidi.

There would be all kinds of celebrations like Buzkashi and concerts. Buzkashi is a kind of game played by horsemen and it is supposed to be our National sport.

It seems that I am missing all of it because here people have no idea what Nowruz means and probably have never seen it. Here at Champlain in the U.S I have been only dressing up for Nowruz and some people have come and asked why I am dressed up today. I explain the whole thing about Nowruz and sometimes I give presentations in schools to share my culture so that we all know each other’s culture. I am interested in knowing people from different backgrounds and I am always happy to share my culture with you.