Persian New Year
The Persian new year celebration, known as Nowruz, was celebrated on March 21st. In Philadelphia, community organizers involved with the Afghan community arranged an afternoon of traditional food, sports, games, fashion, and music. While the day was cold, overcast, and windy, you would never have known it from the delight registered on faces all around.
Nowruz always corresponds to the spring equinox and marks overcoming sorrow and darkness with renewed hope for life and peace. The holiday dates back over 3,500 years. While celebrated by people throughout the world, most historians agree that its roots trace back to Afghanistan. In 2010, the United Nations officially included Nowruz on its “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity” list. However, because the Taliban does not consider Nowruz to have significance in the Islam religion but rather sees it as a pagan holiday, the Taliban Ministry of Vice and Virtue canceled Nowruz earlier this month. Beyond the irony of having to leave one’s homeland to celebrate something so central to one’s culture, it reminds us of the importance of cultural preservation, especially to a population who no longer knows where and how their culture fits.
Two things, in particular, were incredibly heartwarming. Some of the girls from our HeArt Houses excitedly invited us to share the haft mewa they had made. They had tried to explain haft mewa to us on prior occasions, but honestly, it sounded like trail mix. Wow! This combination of nuts and fruit that had been lovingly peeled, soaked for hours, and infused with rose and cardamom was simply delectable!
After the feast, we pulled away from the larger gathering and hurried to the ball fields behind the Rec Center. Random groups of young Afghan men laughed and carried on as they looked up toward the sky. Following their gaze upward, the sky was dotted with numerous kites diving and swerving. Kite Running! (Also banned by the Taliban). One adolescent boy, in traditional attire, struggled to steer his kite to new heights. He was alone. Was he sparring with the other groups, trying to “cut” their kites and claim their kites for his victory stash? Or, was he fighting against the Enemy that, while not there on that ball field at that moment, is trying feverishly to strip the Afghans of their culture, their birthrights, and their freedoms?
In their former homeland, these Afghans might have been secretly celebrating behind closed doors. But here, at Max Meyers Rec Center in Northeast Philadelphia, they were out and about, embracing tradition, feeding their souls, and revitalizing their fragile community.
Please join us in a virtual toast to preserving Afghani culture with a hearty NAWROZ MUBARAK! (Happy New Year!)