Nau Roz (New Year Festival 21st March)
The largest and best-known festival, held throughout the country, especially popular in Mazar e Sharif, where the festivities last for up to 10 days. The people of Mazar also call this celebration Gul-e-Sorkh, after the abundant red tulips that grow wild around the city.
One of the biggest ceremonies of "Nawroz" is held in Mazar-e Sharif which is called "Janda-e Sakhi", where thousands of people gather (mostly men and boys) to raise the so called "holy pole". The saying is that the outcome or success of raising the pole is an indication of the type of year ahead.
Traditionally Nau Roz is a time when prizes and medals are bestowed on artists for their achievements and on farmers for their produce; buzkashi games are held in the stadium and picnics go on until late at night, with music and dancing in the parks and open grounds around shrines.
Nowadays the Ministry of Information and Culture organizes the concerts.
Afghanistan is preparing these days to welcome her ancient tradition “Nawroz” (New Year). Afghans by all means are prepared to welcome the arrival of grass, flowers, trees, birds and the reawakening of nature and arrival of spring.
For Afghans, the celebration of “Nawroz” means that everything and everywhere shall be cleaned and renewed; washing clothes, cleaning the house, carpets, doing their best to throw away the problems belonging to the previous year.
They are also opening their doors and windows to let the fresh air of “Nawroz” in.
The children wear new clothes and receive “Nawrozi” (sweet-money), while the adults visit each other and eat “Haft Mewa” (compose of seven dry fruits) and congratulate each other for “Nawroz”.
In many other places young Afghan men have egg fights (hard boiled and colored) and come home with dozens of colorful eggs they have won making the children happy and cheerful.
Afghans have many reasons to be happy and to enjoy this great day. “Nawroz” is the beginning of Afghan women's many ancient traditions and their spring celebrations, such as preparing “Samanak” (sweet pudding made of wheat germ), “Sabzi Chalaw” (spinach and white rice), “Dalda” (mashed wheat dish) “Nazr-e DigCha” (rice and milk dish), “Kesh Mesh Panaer” (cheese and raisins picnic beside a river) and “Kolcha-e Nawrozi” (colorful cookies on top of colorful paper), and many more.